In Your Dreams
by ShadowMajin
Summary: Videl is having dreams of battles forgotten by time. As they grow more and more gruesome, she turns to the only person she's sure has the answers to them.
1. Not Getting to Sleep

My, my, my, it has been quite awhile since I posted a story on this site. Other than my SweetestIrony, GohanVidel Week, and OrangeStarLove entries, I haven't done much since my last story. What was that anyways? I don't really recall.

Anyways, I'm back with a new story that I'm pretty excited about. And to put a cherry on top of it, I had Takuma beta this chapter for me. She definitely gave me a lot to think about while writing this and I can't thank her enough for the help.

Disclaimer: You don't pwn DBZ; DBZ pwns you.

And with all the pleasantries and other pep-talks out of the way, on with the show!

* * *

Her eyes widened.

It was almost hard to believe. Blurs flew through the air as loud crashes roared into her ears. Blades of grass were torn from the ground and sent whipping around in midair before falling to the ground.

Suddenly, a strange man in strange armor—decorated in black and brown—with long, spiky black hair appeared. He stood with full confidence and a smirk gracing his lips, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Her frightened eyes darted around for a way out; anywhere to get away from the presence of unavoidable conflict.

It was then that she saw them. Behind the strange man, two men appeared as if they were hovering in midair, each with an arm drawn back and ready to attack the long haired man. The only things she could notice of her saviors were the gis they wore; one orange and the other purple. Relief flooded into her system like water.

The fearsome man didn't stand a chance!

Before either warrior could strike though, the man in armor leaned forward, his legs coming right off the ground. Faster than she could blink, his feet lashed out, slamming into the faces of the duo, sending them flying away.

This couldn't be happening!

As the two men tumbled through the air, they suddenly recovered themselves, landing on their feet. Without hesitation, they rushed back at the armored man. As the duo closed in on their opponent, she could clearly see their determination at defeating him. Even as they charged in, she could see their strategic movements forming.

Unfortunately, so could _he_.

The opposed held his ground…air until the very last second, disappearing before her very eyes. Both men flew through empty air as their charge was rendered useless.

Despite this development, the duo seemed to know exactly where their opponent had gone. That was more than she could say as she frantically looked about the surrounding area. It was only when she saw both men turn and look into the air that she realized what happened. In the air, their opponent hovered, waiting for their next move. As if on cue, they both leapt after him, preparing to fight the long-haired man in air-combat.

However, their opponent seemed to have other ideas. Leaning his body backwards, he soon came into an upright position, his hands raised by his head. As the two charging men closed in on him, he gave an evil grin as his hands were thrust downwards.

To her surprise, two beams of light fired from the man's palms, racing towards the charging men. Each gave out a cry of surprise as they moved out of the beams' way. Even more astonishing was when the beams of light hit the ground, causing explosions as they detonated.

Both men fell to the ground, landing on their feet soon after the detonations. Despite the sight of erupting flames, she was frozen to the spot she stood on, fear coursing through her body. How could this be happening? How was any of it possible?

That was when the man in orange shouted "Where'd he go?!" She immediately looked back at the armored man, failing to see him at his last location. If she wasn't already scared, she was terrified now. The man could be anywhere now!

As if in answer, the armored foe appeared right behind the man in orange, an evil smile on his face. "Right here."

Faster than she could track, the man swung a kick that nailed the warrior in the back, sending him flying away and skidding on the ground soon after. Time seemed to go on before the man in orange started rising from the ground, visibly shaken. It was as if he hadn't anticipated such an encounter.

Neither could she for that matter.

Looking to his comrade, he began rubbing his check with a shaky fist. "Hey Piccolo, are you—"

His words halted. Even from where she stood, she could sense something was wrong. Turning her attention, she finally took more notice of the man in purple. His appearance looked nothing like his companion. He sported green skin with antennas hanging from his forehead. Yet that wasn't what got her attention.

What did get her attention and horror was the stump that used to be his left arm.

* * *

She gasped as her eyes shot open. Heavy panting filled the room as sweat pour down her face. Videl was now sitting on her bed, far from any horrible battle with her bed sheets covering her legs as she looked into the darkness of her room.

They were getting worse; those…dreams. Or could they be called nightmares? She shook her head and rubbed her eyes in frustration. She just wasn't sure.

It had started a couple of weeks ago. Videl Satan had been plagued by dreams that she wouldn't wish on her worst enemies. They had started innocently enough, the first one introducing a group of people talking about the moon; something she could vaguely recall. She remembered as a young girl the floating sphere in the sky, but then one night it had simply vanished without a trace. The next thing she knew, a little boy had become a giant monkey and began tearing apart what appeared to be a castle-like structure.

So bizarre yet…that had only been just the beginning.

The same people appeared in her next dream, only they were at some sort of tournament. That same little boy with the tail was fighting some old guy. That dream wasn't so bad; in fact it had been quite entertaining.

It was her more recent dreams, however, that were becoming worse. Death and senseless destruction became the norm now and the Satan girl did not like that one bit.

Just who were these people? Did she know any of them or were they just some random group of individuals her mind had concocted? If so, why did they fight so many battles? Hell, the last one had a green man losing his arm for crying out loud!

Videl brought her hand to her forehead and began rubbing her temples. As of right now, there wasn't anything she could do. How did one stop dreams anyways?

Taking and releasing a few deep breaths, she slowly calmed down her racing mind and beating heart. Looking to her clock, the digital numbers displayed 3:42. Great, there was still time in the night for her nightmares to visit her. Perfect.

Laying back down, the Satan girl shifted on her bed until she found a comfortable position. Hopefully she could make it through the night without anymore problems.

A low chuckle resonated from her throat. 'Yeah, right."

She wasn't going to hold her breath on that.


	2. School Day

Wow, I must say I am surprised. Apparently a bunch of ya'll are interested in this story, not that I'm complaining. It's just been awhile since I've had that sort of response. I'm glad ya'll like it so far; just gives me more reason to make sure it gets completed, how ever long that takes. So here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

"Geez Videl, you don't look so good."

The Satan girl rolled her eyes. "My, aren't you observant."

Standing next to the seated girl was her best friend, Erasa. The blonde had a look of concern on her face but that quickly changed to annoyance at her friend's blatant brush-off. Sad to say, she was use to such comments coming from the dark haired girl, especially when she was sleep deprived.

"Did you stay up watching that monster movie marathon last night? I thought I told you that stuff was only for mindless zombies."

"As if. You're talking to the wrong person about monster movies or even movies in general. I don't have time for such nonsense."

Erasa cocked an eyebrow. "So what's causing those bags under your eyes?"

This was one thing Videl didn't want to talk about. Ever. It was bad enough to have awful dreams but it was another to go around talking about them. She'd be thrown into a mental institution or something because of them. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Rolling her eyes, the blonde reached into her purse and pulled out a compact mirror. Flipping it open, she stuck it right into Videl's face, revealing the dark circles under her eyes. "This is what I'm talking about, Vi."

Well, denial didn't work. Maybe redirecting her friend's attention to something else would help. "Did you do the math homework last night?"

Erasa's eyes widen comically. "Oh no! I completely forgot about that!" Dropping into her seat, the blonde took out her math book of her backpack and placed it on her desk; tore out a piece of notebook paper from a binder; and then quickly began writing down numbers.

Finally, success! Now if only all of the Satan girl's problems were that easy to fix.

Speaking of problems, here came her next one. Striding towards his seat, the top jock in the school sat in the chair next to Videl, one of his hands flicking some of his long hair behind his head. "Hello ladies," he greeted haughtily. "The man of your dreams has arrived."

Well, if Videl thought her nightmare from last night was bad, this boy easily topped it. Sharpner had always been full of himself, but his ego had grown to unimaginable proportions over the course of his high school career. Admittedly, the boy had looks one could call handsome and he knew it all too well. Somehow he got it into his head that every girl that gazed upon him was madly obsessed with him. That group unfortunately included her.

Rolling her eyes once more, she replied "Spare me. If you were in my dreams, I'd have to question how sane my subconscious is."

Erasa snorted next to her, apparently in agreement. "Sorry Sharpner, but I have someone else in my dreams."

"What? Who?! It better not be that vampire guy I keep hearing about!"

Both girls looked at the blond incredulously. Vampires? Really? What kind of thought process made him think that?

It was at that moment the teacher walked in, sparing them from answering as he signaled the start of class. "Okay, calm down everyone, it's time for me to take attendance," he grumbled.

Apparently everyone was a shining ball of sunshine today.

However, before the teacher could start his roll-call, the door swung open to reveal a boy who was breathing heavily. Looking at the boy, the teacher said "Son Gohan, you're almost late. I'm so glad you decided to make it to class on time."

Snickers could be heard about the classroom. Though this boy was one of the smartest kids in school, his perchance for arriving late had quickly ended any sort of love affair the teachers had for him. In their books, tardiness and genius did not mix; 2+2 did not equal 4; and the leader of the world was not a talking cat…even though there was evidence to back up that last one.

Rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, the Son boy quickly headed to his seat, sitting next to Erasa. He received a playful grin from Erasa as he lowered himself down before pulling out paper for the class.

Videl just stared at the boy. For the longest time, the Satan girl felt that the Son boy was hiding some kind of secret, but for the life of her, she just couldn't get him to admit to anything. One day she would get something out of him though.

But until then, she had to take notes.

* * *

"Okay Videl, seriously, what's going on?"

Once again, Erasa was nagging on the Satan girl. Okay, it wasn't nagging but that was the way she felt. Couldn't she have a day where she looked like utter crap? Then again, everyday Videl dressed in less than acceptable clothes in Erasa's standards. A large t-shirt and spandex shorts was not an acceptable outfit in the blonde's world.

It was a good thing she didn't live in that world.

"Erasa, it's nothing," she replied. "I just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."

The blonde stared at the Satan girl disbelievingly. They were both standing outside the school by the old oak tree; their usual lunch spot on the campus grounds. "Believe me, Vi, I know what you're like without a night's worth of sleep. But right now, you're acting like you haven't slept in a week."

Oh crap, was it really that obvious? Sure she had some large bags under her eyes but that didn't mean she was going without sleep, was she? Well, as persistent as Erasa had been about this topic, Videl was gonna have to tell her about it sooner or later.

Sighing, the dark haired girl said "I've been having these…dreams."

"Dreams? What dreams?" Erasa asked. "Is there anything I should know about? Any someone?"

Videl glared at her before continuing. "No, they've just been really intense and keep waking me up at night. You know how hard it is for me to get to sleep after I've woken up."

The blonde frowned. "What's in your dreams if not some hunk?"

"Well," Videl began, trying to ignore her friend's boy-crazed train of thought. "There are these people that I don't recognize. Believe me, I can't find a single picture on them in books or on the internet. For some reason, though, they're always in these incredible fights. I've never seen anything like them, even with all the fights I've been in."

Erasa's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. These guys can move so fast I can't even see them at times. There were a few times they even went into the air and fought."

"Like flying?"

"Yeah, exact—" Videl trailed off. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Those guys were flying around likes those guys from the Cell Games! But…that was impossible, wasn't it? Those were only tricks, confirmed by one of the greatest martial artists on the planet.

But…it had felt so real. As if those people actually had the ability to fly and create balls of light and their hands. Was it possible after all?

Apparently, Erasa had followed her on her thought process. "But didn't your dad say that was just a trick?"

Videl nodded, though hesitantly. "Yeah, and he does know what he talking about. But maybe there's more to this flying thing than meets the eye."

"Flying?" a deep voice said. Both girls turned their heads to see Sharpner approaching them, a skeptical look on his face. "Did you hit your head on something hard, Videl? You usually don't say such ridiculous things."

Videl glared at the boy. "I wasn't talking to you, Sharpner. Now go bug someone else. I'm not in the mood."

"I can't do that, not when I hear my girl talking about such nonsense. I have to make sure she's okay."

That was when Gohan walked up to them. "Is someone ill?"

"Back off, Nerd boy," Sharpner answered. "This doesn't concern you."

"Hey, shut up, pencil head!" Videl shot back. Turning to Gohan, she said "There's nothing wrong; I've just been having some bad dreams lately. That's all."

"Bad dreams? What's in them?"

By now, Videl was reaching the end of her temper. Why couldn't these people see she was okay?! It was time to put her foot down once and for all about these stupid dreams!

"Just leave me alone!" the Satan girl shouted, catching the attention of all the students outside of the school. "There's nothing wrong with me so MIND…YOUR…OWN…BUSINESS!"

With that, Videl spun around on her heels and stormed away. There, that should take care of all those nosy people. And just to make sure, she'd stay pissed until the day was over. After all, no one messed with Videl Satan when she was mad.


	3. A Piccolo Painted Green

Wind roared throughout the mountainous wasteland. Dust and smoke blowing in every which direction. From what she could see, and that wasn't very much, the entire windstorm was being caused by one man, one of her saviors that wore an orange gi. This time though, he was shirtless, his every defined muscle shining in sweat. Pants were the only bit of clothing on him though they looked as if they had seen better days.

However, it wasn't the man's wardrobe that caught her eyes; it was the red-like flames that were roaring about him. If it wasn't for the dust in her eyes, she would've done a double check. It was almost as if these flames; this aura was trying to consume him, yet wasn't able too.

She prayed to Kami that wouldn't change.

The next thing she noticed was the man's muscles. She could have sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her. The man's body appeared to be expanding, growing bigger though he remained the same height. But that couldn't be possible.

Apparently, his opponent was having similar thoughts. He was much shorter than the man in flames, and his hair was standing straight up into the air, unlike the wilder look of the other. He also wore similar armor to the frightening man from her previous dream, except that his was white and yellow with some kind of blue spandex underneath it.

For some reason, she got the feeling he was just as tough as the last armored man. Not a thought she relished in.

Suddenly, the mountain the short man was standing on began collapsing without any cause, catching him off guard. The expression on his faced matched the thoughts running through her own head; that of shock and disbelief. Mountains did not just fall apart because of some freaky wind and a shirtless guy; it didn't make sense at all!

As the man looked at the crumbling rocks beneath his feet, the man in flames leapt off his own mountain, rushing his opponent with his left arm drawn behind him.

She couldn't close her eyes as she immediately knew what would happen.

As she expected, the man in flames slammed his fist into the smaller man, sending him flying through the air. Giving chase, the man in flames closed in on his defenseless opponent, moving like a missile through the air. However, instead of delivering another blow, much to her surprise, he flew past the man before turning around and flying back. With the swing of his legs, he slammed his feet into the smaller man's back, sending him high into the air.

"Incredible," she whispered as she tilted her head back. What ever was going on with that red flame, it was clearly giving the shirtless man the advantage. She could feel hope coursing through her body. He just had to keep his pace up and this battle would be his!

However, the smaller man recovered and hovered in midair, focusing his sights right at his charging opponent. Thrusting out one of his hands, he gripped his wrist with the other, taking aim as he plotted his counterattack. At the last second, the man in flames burst to a side, flying far behind him, leaving her breathless as her eyes followed his red streak.

A ball of light covered the smaller man's gloved hand as he turned his head followed his opponent. With a swing of his arm, he threw a ball of light after the flaming man, only to miss him completely. The next thing either she or the man knew, the man in flames rammed one of his feet into the small man's face, sending him flying once more. She gasped as the short man flew right through a boulder, causing it to shatter into many pieces and finally crashing into a ridge. A hole in the rocky ridge was the only sign to indicate where he had landed.

Please, make this the end, she pleaded in her mind.

Moments passed before an enraged roar cried out, shattering her pleas and the mountain ridge. Pieces of rock flew through the air before crashing into the ground. She fell to her knees, dread roaming through her as she stared at the infuriated man. Standing on the newly made plateau, he looked as if he'd been dealt an unforgivable insult and fully intended on paying it back in full.

She soon saw her savior charging once more. Landing at the edge of the plateau, he leapt at his opponent, going over the head of the smaller man as he threw a punch at him. With the blow dodge, the man in flames attack his opponent's back, sending him flying again and causing a cheer to leap out of her mouth. The enraged man recovered quicker than she thought possible as he landed on his feet then flipped into the air, twisting his body until he faced the other warrior. Once his feet touched the ground, he charged like a raging bull. A ball of light covered his hand once more as he threw his fist.

She couldn't see what happened next. It went too fast for her unblinking eyes. All she could see was the armored man standing with his arm extended, his eyes widened in pain. Below his arm, the man in flames had his own fist imbedded in his foe's stomach. The fight came to a screeching halt as both fighters stood in that pose.

Neither man moved an inch; the only the sound reaching her ears was that of her own breathing. Was it over? Was the fight finally finished?

It was the smaller man who moved first, gasping for air as he stumbled backwards, holding his pain-stricken gut. A mixture of blood and spit dripped from his mouth as tried to overcome the immense throbbing running through his body.

She should have been happy. The hero was winning the fight and would soon claim victory. Her head wanted to believe it, but something in her gut told her this fight was no where near finishing.

* * *

Videl stared at her computer, slowly becoming frustrated.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning but here she was, still in her pajamas, sitting in front of her computer as she came to another dead end.

Who in the world named their kid Piccolo? Honestly! It had taken her a bit but after figuring out that one of her dreams had mentioned someone's name, or spoke a possible name she could identify as a name, she had gone to search for a person, anyone that went by that surname on the internet.

Her results: nothing. Well correction, she did find something but it wasn't what she wanted. The Satan girl had come up with page after page of information dealing with a musical instrument called the piccolo. She had even clicked through fifteen different pages and all she received was articles and websites about the bloody pipe.

So she tried out Martial Arts Tournaments. After all, one of her dreams involved a fighting tournament; how hard could it be to get some kind of pictures of fighters?

Once again, her search proved useless. Most martial arts tournaments the search engine provided her were ones that involved her father, sometimes with multiple articles and websites. The earliest tournament she could find was the World Martial Arts Tournament her dad had won. Apparently, people didn't care about any of the previous tournaments to make some sort of record of them.

So with one last attempt, the Satan girl searched Green Men Called Piccolo. It was a long shot, but you never know what one would find.

"Oh look, a piccolo painted green," Videl said sarcastically. Dear Kami, wasn't the internet suppose to help people find things easier? The way things were going, it seemed more like another tool made to make life more frustrating. Come on, Capsule Corp., make something useful for once!

Standing up, the Satan girl made her way to her closet. Despite popular belief, her closest wasn't a very big one. It was just a normal closet packed full of clothes she would never wear. Ever. Well, clothes and random papers, stuffed animals, and toys from her younger days that had been collected over the years. Huh, it had been quite some time since she played with those toys.

Not that she'd be playing with them any time soon, mind you.

Next to her closet was a dresser that held all the clothes she would ever wear. Thank Kami white t-shirts and spandex shorts didn't take up much room. Pulling out her usual wardrobe, the daughter of Satan took off her pajamas and got dressed.

As she finished pulling her head through her shirt, the girl noticed a cardboard box next to her dresser. Odd, she didn't remember that being there.

Walking over to it, Videl picked it up and removed the lid. Resting inside the box was a circular object wrapped in blue thread. The same thread crisscrossed throughout the circle as well, making a very unique design, of what she couldn't tell. What the object was exactly, she didn't know but it was interesting to look at.

Yet, the most prominent feature of this thing was a small animal skull. Okay, it wasn't the actual bone skull, since it would be a bit bulky. Instead, a smaller replica made in sterling silver hung on the threads at the center of the circle.

She had gotten this thing a few weeks ago from Erasa. Said it was an early birthday present. Most likely the blonde had seen it and bought it on impulse.

It was called a dream-catcher, made by a native tribe some years ago. It was supposed to catch dreams, specifically nightmares, and stop them from invading the owner's subconscious.

Well, why not? The Satan girl had been having those violent dreams lately; maybe this dream-catcher would help stop them. Walking to her desk, she pulled out a small case of pushpins and picked one out. Heading to her bed, she stuck the pushpin into the wall and hung the dream-catcher on it. There, now all she had to do was wait until she went to sleep.

Hasta la vista dreams.


	4. A Boy Called Gohan

I must say, I never expected so many people to like this story. A very pleasant surprise. Well, this chapter should get a lot of ya'll excited. Enjoy.

* * *

The crowd erupted into cheers as the robbers were led out of the bank. Each man looked as if they had seen better days as they marched in torn clothing, a few of them sporting black-eyes.

Normally this was the part where Videl came out after the men and briefed the police chief about the whole incident. This time though, Videl came out of the bank with a pain-in-the-butt by the name of Saiyaman. The man with the helmet for a head grinned out to the cheering people, waving his hand in the air to show his appreciation.

Videl scowled. "Hey Saiyadweeb, don't you have to run home now? Your tights look as if they need to be cleaned."

Saiyaman looked confused for a moment before looking himself over. "I don't see anything wrong," he said in puzzlement.

"You sure? I see a lot wrong," the Satan girl responded. "The first thing being that trash can on your head."

The hero stiffened slightly. "Umm, I think I do need to vacate the area. You know, to stop more crime and all."

Videl rolled her eyes. "There isn't anymore crime going on. Just leave the city…and don't come back."

Saiyaman stared at the girl for a moment. "Umm…Miss Videl? Is something wrong?"

The Satan girl's eyes widened as her face twisted with fury. "There's nothing wrong with me!" she snapped, causing the hero to flinch.

"O-of course there's nothing w-wrong with you," he sputtered. "It's just you're acting meaner than you usually do."

Videl glared at the guy. "I repeat," she said in a deathly tone, "there…is…_nothing_…wrong with me. Do you understand?"

Saiyaman nodded his head frantically. "Yes ma'am." Turning away, he leapt into the air, flying as fast as he could away from the daughter of Satan. It would've been funnier to Videl as the hero ran away if he hadn't been right.

Why did people have to be so perceptive when she was having a problem? First, Erasa had hounded her about it, then Sharpner and Gohan found out about her nightly problems. Now that idiot Saiyaman knew something was up and he was usually so oblivious to anything not associated with crime…or trying to escape her attempts at unmasking him.

Well, she still had a chance at escaping those dreams and finally getting a night's worth of sleep. She had set up that dream-catcher in the morning and couldn't wait to put it to the test.

Of course, she just had to get a transmission from the police chief about a bank robbery being committed. So in accordance with her job, she went out to stop the theft. Unfortunately, as she was busy putting the robbers in a hurt locker, that doofus Saiyaman just had to show his orange helmeted head around. What she wouldn't give to rip that thing off and cast it into the burning levels of hell.

Maybe…just maybe…she should call it a day. She was tired and becoming more irritable as the day wore on. It wouldn't be taken kindly if everyone in the city heard about her chewing people out for no good reason.

* * *

Green skies, yellow clouds, blue grass covering islands as far as she could see, along with a green colored sea; a very odd looking place to be sure.

Which only meant she was in another dream. Damn it.

"Krillen!"

"Frieza, stop this!"

Alarm shot through out her body as she jerked around to look at the wild haired man again, this time wearing pants and a dark blue shirt. Close by was a small little boy in the same outfit the short man from before had worn. Though the boy had a bowl-style hair cut, it was obvious the two were related. Yet…why was he here? She hadn't seen a boy this young in all of her dreams; so why now?

The next thing she noticed was the green man named after the musical instrument lying on the ground. He had a hole in his back, which meant there was also one in his chest, with purple blood leaking all over the ground. He also seemed to be unconscious; at least she hoped he was unconscious, but she wasn't holding her breath. Not with the way her dreams had gone.

Standing on a large rock was a white lizard-like alien with large purple spots; one on his head,his chest and on each of his shoulders. He held one of his hands out, raising it higher and higher into the air.

Simultaneously, a small bald man, the one called Krillen by his friends, was flying high into the air, though what her confused eyes were telling her, it wasn't by his own choice. Even from where she stood, she could see that. In fact, it looked as if he were trying to struggle against some force that was controlling his body.

"This time, you won't come back," the white lizard spoke as he clinched his hand. A shiver went down her spine as dread filled her stomach. Something bad was gonna happen, she could feel it.

"Help me!" Krillen cried out before he suddenly exploded, flames and smoke flying in all directions.

She couldn't stop the cry of horror escape her lips. How had that happened?! People didn't just explode! There was nothing around that man one moment, and the next he was nothing but a burning fireball! She couldn't fight the urge to turn tail and run as fast as she could. She had to get out of this place before she was the next victim.

It wasn't helping that her legs were refusing to move. Just great, this was the most perfect time for her limbs to be ignoring her; especially when she could be the next one to die!

The man and boy, on the other hand, were just looking at the explosion in shock, unable to tear their eyes from the sight. The white lizard smirked evilly. One couldn't mistake the chuckles resonated from his mouth. Then he decided to add insult to injury.

"Pop goes the weasel."

Okay, she had heard some really corny lines in her life, usually from thugs with guns. Now of all times, she hears some alien-thing say a line from a children's poem right after someone dies? What was wrong with him?

However, the alien's words had an affect on the wild haired man's mind. His body shuddered in suppressed rage. "I…won't…let you…get away…with this."

All the alien did was smirk.

However, something strange was going on, something she couldn't tear her frightened eyes from. Where the sky had been a bright green, it had suddenly darkened. Bolts of lightning flashed from the sky, touching down on the water surrounding the island. A sense of panic raged in her body, telling her she needed to get away and get away quickly.

Meanwhile, the ground around the man soon started shaking as chunk of earth rose into the air, separating into smaller rocks as they levitated higher and higher. The black locks of his hair followed the rocks' example as they stood straight into the air. "I won't let you…" he spoke, his anger laced in his voice.

The alien wasn't smiling anymore.

Suddenly, the man tossed his head back as his hair flashed blonde. The golden hair disappeared as his head fell back down but grunts and growls were clearly being heard now. More flashes of blond hair appeared as the air around the man began to wavered. A golden tint began appearing all around him.

Finally, a look of pure rage and hate covered the man's face as his dark pupils disappeared into the whites of his eyeballs. With a cry, he shouted his pain to the heavens as a golden aura roared around him, his hair finally taking hold of the blond hue. It was a second later that his eyes returned, only now they were a furious teal.

She couldn't help but stare. This…this was a gold fighter! A very real, very angry gold fighter. Her breath hitched in her throat. She had heard rumors of these people, like the ones at the Cell Games. It didn't matter what were in the rumors but what ever they were, they did not do the real thing justice. She was practically peeing on herself just for looking at one for Kami's sake!

The lizard stared at the sight before flinching back. It was unmistakable now, even to her. The alien was showing fear as the image of the golden warrior burned itself into his eyes. The same could be said about the little boy as his mouth hung wide open, small sounds of fright emanating from his throat.

The entire time, the golden man stared in anger at alien.

That didn't last though as he finally turned his attention to the little boy, calming down slightly. "Gohan, listen very carefully. You must leave this planet now and take Piccolo with you; got it?"

The little boy didn't seem to register the man's words as he continued to stare at him. Videl hadn't either though there was something screaming in the back of her head.

This did not please the man. Allowing his anger to leak into the tone of his voice, he raised the volume of it. "This is the last time I'm going to tell you! Get out of here right now, Gohan!"

She couldn't help but flinch from the tone. Never had someone used that voice on her, and after this, she never wanted one to.

That snapped the boy back to reality. Quickly, he ran over to the green man, Piccolo, and picked up his side, resting it on his back. Not the lease bit mollified, the golden man turned his attention back to the white lizard.

Slowly, the boy lifted into the air, taking Piccolo's much larger body with him. The two headed towards the horizon as they attempted to leave the area.

Unfortunately, the lizard wasn't about to let that happen. "You think you can just leave?" he stated more than asked as he turned to look at them. Holding a hand up, the index finger extended, he prepared to shoot them out of the sky with a light beam.

She cried out in dismay as it dawned on her what was going to happen.

The next thing any of them knew, the golden man was right in front of him. Raising his own hand, he grabbed the white lizard's hand and squeezed. This caused the monster to give a yelp of pain before trying to get his hand out of the man's grip. This proved harder than he thought as he failed to remove his hand. Soon, the alien feel to a knee as he started crying in pain as he felt his hand being crushed.

* * *

Videl flung herself forward. She could hear herself panting wildly. That had been intense. Never in her life had she seen something like that. A man exploding in midair; another covering himself in golden light; hell, that lizard alien was hard to accept by itself.

Yet, she had heard stories of such things. Though, the only time she had heard them involved the Cell Games. But…that wasn't right. She could feel it at the tip of her tongue. There was another time a gold fighter showed himself to the public.

And then it hit her. One had shown up in Satan City some weeks ago, stopping an attempted robbery and leaving a mystery in his wake. Was it that gold fighter and the one in her dream the same person? If so, how could he do such a thing? It was mind boggling.

Yet, there was something else nagging at her; something about this dream that that stuck to her unlike the others. That golden man had called that little boy by a name and he had responded to it. Well, he responded to it after the second time, but that was a small detail that could easily be ignored.

Gohan. His name was Gohan and the Satan girl only knew one person with that name. Though how he was involved with this, she didn't know, but at least it was a place to start. She hadn't gotten any answers on her own, but now she had some sort of a starting point. Hopefully that boy could help her out with this, even if she had to beat him up to do so.


	5. Grammar Police

"A nice neighborhood could go over there; maybe a school too. I know Erasa would like a mall somewhere around here. Hmm, perhaps where those trees are. Hey, they could use that lake as a swimming pool!"

To say that Videl was bored would be an understatement. She knew that flying to the 439 Mountain Area would be a long trip but she severely underestimated how dull the trip actually was. First she had tried playing some music. That had taken up a good hour and a half but soon, she had lost interest in her CD collection. So, she tried taking in the scenery. That had lasted a good five minutes before she felt that she was looking at the same stretch of forest, plain, and mountain. Next, she resorted to singing 99 Bottles of Beer. She got to 97 before she refused to sing further. Now she was picking out places that would make great locations for urban development. The more creative idea she came up with, the more entertained she felt, or so she told herself.

"Hmm…now what could go by that river? A windmill? Probably not. A Marina? Too small of a location and not enough water to make it worthwhile. Perhaps a space station? Yes, that's it! It can go right where that house is."

Videl blinked. A house? Out here? Taking a quick look at her GPS, she discovered that she had finally made it to her destination. About time too. She needed to stop her growing madness before she started wondering if Sharpner was marriage material. The thought of that almost made her sick.

Landing her jet copter, the Satan girl turned off the engine and leapt out of the machine. Setting her sights on the igloo shaped house, she walked towards the front door and knocked on its wooden surface.

A few moments later, a woman in a yellow house dress opened the door. She looked like she had seen a lot of years and it didn't help that her hair was pulled in a bun. Then again, Videl felt she looked just like that. This lack of sleep was just killing her. "Yes? May I help you?" the lady asked.

"Yes, is this the Son residence?" Videl asked politely.

The woman stared at her. "It is. What are you here for?"

"I need to see Son Gohan."

"And how do you know my son?"

So this was Gohan's mom. Huh, she could see a little resemblance but that wasn't very important. "I know him from school. We're…sort of classmates."

Mrs. Son cocked an eyebrow. "Sort of classmates? Either you're a classmate or you're not. I hope one of your teachers didn't teach you to talk like that."

Videl blinked her eyes. While there were many jokes directed at the public school system, along with many insults, it wasn't very often a stranger took shots at a school system they weren't ever apart of. "Uhh, could I see Gohan now? It's sort of important."

Gohan's mom narrowed her eyes. "Well, is it or isn't it important? My son's time is better spent not wasting it on people that don't know whether what they're gonna say is important or not."

Okay, now Videl knew this woman was insulting her. "It is important," she growled through clinched teeth.

"Well why didn't you say so? Just a moment." Mrs. Son said, much to the Satan girl's further irritation. "Oh Gohan! There's someone at the door for you."

"Coming!" Gohan called back, much to Videl's relief. She wasn't sure if she could keep up a civilized conversation with this boy's mother. It was no wonder the Son boy was so adamant about his studies. His mother would drive half of Satan City crazy by nitpicking their grammar!

That was when Gohan appeared at the door, wearing some sweatpants and an undershirt. Videl's eyes flicked towards his exposed arms and nearly did a double take. The Son boy had been hiding some very interesting looking muscles from everyone. You didn't see arms like that everyday.

Because of her diverted attention, the Satan girl failed to see the nervous stance her classmate took. "Uhh, Videl! What…why are you here?"

That caused the daughter of Satan to snap her eyes up to the boy's face. She could check out his muscled arms later. "Gohan, you and I need to talk…_now_."

A drop of sweat rolled down the Son boy's forehead. "Uhh, w-what about?"

Videl narrowed her eyes. "You have something to do with my dreams and I want to know why."

Gohan's eyes widened. "W-what? What are you talking about?"

The Satan girl slammed a fist into the doorframe, causing the door to rattle a bit. She was not in a mood to play games. "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

Gohan shook his head. "No, I don't Videl."

A low growl emanated from the small girl. "Don't play games with me, Son Gohan. You were in one of my dreams and I want to know why."

The Son boy cocked an eyebrow. "Are you talking about those bad dreams you've been having?"

"Yes! You have something to do with it and I know it! Now make them stop or Kami help me, I'll break every bone in your body!"

Gohan shook his head. "Videl, I don't know anything about your dreams besides that you're losing sleep over them." Stepping aside, he said "Come inside. We can talk about this like rational adults."

Videl just glared at the boy but accepted his invitation. Stepping into the house, she noticed how simplistic it was. Not many decorations around except the wallpaper and some pictures on the wall. As Gohan closed the door behind her, he moved past her and headed to a room with a couple couches in it. Following him, the Satan girl followed the boy's example as he sat down on one of the couches, she sitting on the couch across from him. "Now," he said, "tell me what's in your dreams."

Had the Satan girl been in her usual state of mind, she would've noticed how Gohan had gone from being a nervous wreck around her to being completely composed. Being that she wasn't, she instead repeated her accusation. "You know what's in my dreams. Why else would you be in them?"

The Son boy let out a sigh. "Then refresh my memory. What did you see in your latest dream?"

Videl glared at him but decided to humor him. "I was in someplace with a green sky and a lot of water. I watched some white, lizard thing cause a bald guy to blow up in the middle of the sky."

Though she was a bit off in the mental department, she noticed Gohan pale at the description. "W-what else did you see?"

"I saw a guy change his hair blond and then told a little boy to leave. A little boy named _Gohan_," she replied, emphasizing his name to make sure he knew just who she thought that boy was.

Apparently, Mrs. Son had overheard that part of the conversation. "Gohan? What is she talking about?"

Normally, Videl would've told the person interrupting her conversation to buzz off, though a bit ruder than that. However, the Satan girl wasn't about to say that to this woman, especially in her own home, not after that grilling she had given at the front door. She had already showed a short temperament for incorrect grammar; there was no telling how she'd react if told something less than polite.

Gohan looked to his mother, then looked back at Videl, then looked back at his mom. "Umm, Mom? Can I talk to you real fast?"

"Now wait a second!" Videl protested.

"Yes you can," Mrs. Son interrupted. Turning around, she walked into the next room, Gohan following her soon after. Huffing, Videl crossed her arms in front of her chest as she scowled at the wall in front of her. How dare that boy just brush her off like that?!

It was a few minutes later when Gohan, with his mother in tow, returned. Both sat down on the couch in front of her, looking grave. "Videl," Gohan began, "what I'm about to tell you…is something we don't talk about often."

That got the girl's attention. Was Son Gohan about to tell her a secret?

Taking a deep breath, he said "What you saw in your dream; that actually happened."

Videl blinked. That wasn't what she was expecting him to say.

Taking her silence as a sign to go on, Gohan launched into his tale. "I was six years old at the time. My friends and I had gone to another planet in search of the Dragonballs and that place in your dream was it."

Videl blinked some more. "The Dragon's what?"

"Dragonballs. They're seven balls that when you gather them, you can have any wish of your choice come true."

Well, that was an outlandish explanation. Who in their right mind would believe such crock? "O…kay…let's just say I believe you for the moment. Tell me who those people you were with were and why that white lizard was trying to kill you," Videl said.

"You saw five people, including myself, correct?"

A quick mental tally later. "Yeah."

Gohan took in a deep breath. "The man you saw trans…change his hair was my dad. He changed that way when he saw Krillen, his best friend, killed. The man lying on the ground was Piccolo. He was a one time rival of my father and one of my martial arts teachers."

Filing that information away for the time being, the Satan girl nodded her head for the boy to keep going.

"And the 'white lizard' was a man called Frieza, a terrible space tyrant that wanted the Dragonballs for his own evil purpose. My friends and I stopped him from making his wish on the balls and he wanted us all dead for stopping him. There was another guy there, Vegeta, but Frieza killed him earlier."

Videl let her eyes glaze over. This was a lot of information to go over, despite it only being a few sentences. "Who is this Vegeta guy?"

Gohan replied "He's an awesome fighter, one of the best I know. We were enemies at one time but found a common foe in Frieza."

Hmm…enemies huh? Could he have already appeared in her dreams? Well, she didn't have much to lose at the moment. "Did he wear similar armor to you when you were six?"

That caused the boy to pause and his mother to look at him with worry. "How do you know that?"

"In another dream. I saw that man, your father, fighting a guy in the same armor you wore. He was shorter than your dad and had hair sticking straight up.

Gohan rubbed his face, obviously troubled. "Videl, I think you need to tell me every dream you've had so far; from the first one to the last one."

It was Videl's turn to take in a deep breath. "Well, get comfortable. It's gonna take awhile."

* * *

To R for Chapter 3: No worries, I already have an explanation for all of the dreams. I'm just gonna take my time in putting that explanation out lol.

To R for Chapter 4: A Cell Games dream huh? It'll depend if I get to that point or not. There are plenty of fighting scene along the way, I just may not be able to resist using them. Then again, maybe I can lol.

I couldn't help myself. I just had to throw in a TeamFourStar joke. It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. Free candy to the first person that figures out where I put the joke.


	6. Believe What You Want to

A war cry rang out amongst the mountainous region. Jerking her head up, she saw a young, blond man, high in the air, yelling at the top of his lungs. He was dressed in a black shirt and pants with a purple jacket. Yet it was the sword he held in one hand above his head that was most captivating.

Slightly below him, a monstrosity of machine and alien hovered, looking up at him with a look of fear on his face. If anything, it looked like the Frieza guy from last time, except his legs and tail were metal; his arm and half of his head as well. If anything, the metal looked as if someone had been scrambling around their workshop and placed as many fitting pieces together just to create the guy.

Those two weren't the only ones in the air, she couldn't help but notice. A short distance away, a large, purple alien with large horns on his head, dark armor, and a cape floated, horror written on his face as he watched the swordsman close in on his comrade.

The blond man brought his other hand to his sword hilt and swung the blade down. It went so fast that she couldn't see if he had actually hit his target or not. She held her breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

Seconds went by but it soon became apparent that the sword had struck true. Slowly, the half alien, half machine thing began splitting vertically in half, separating completely soon after. Without hesitation, the swordsman swung his sword around, slicing Frieza over and over. His strikes were so fast, all she could see were blurs. Soon, only chunks of the space tyrant were left, floating and rotating in midair right where the alien had once been, creating a nauseous feeling in her chest, coupled with horror at watching such an act. She hoped to Kami she wouldn't throw up, though the chances of her prayers being answered seemed slim at the moment.

Bringing his sword arm to his body, the young man stuck his other arm right under it, the fingers stiffened with the thumb curling into the palm. A moment later, a flash of light erupted from his hand, covering Frieza's remains. The only thing left of the alien was the smoke wafting into the air once the young man stopped his blast.

While she couldn't say she regretted seeing that alien tyrant being killed, she still couldn't help the apprehension in her mind. It was almost as if she were afraid to make a single sound that could alert the two remaining warriors to her presence. She needed to think of something else; something to get her mind off the growing panic. She needed to control the frantic emotions running wild in her head. She needed to work on keeping her lunch in her stomach.

Moments later, the man sheathed his sword and drifted to the ground, being met by the other alien soon after. They both stared at each other; one calmly, the other sourly.

What fresh hell was about to happen now?

That was when the alien's demeanor changed. "Super Saiyan," he said, his voice dripping with admiration, "I'm impressed." Of all the things she thought that giant…thing would say, she hadn't expected that.

When the young Saiyan didn't answer, the alien carried on. "To encounter a fighter of your caliber is a rare occurrence indeed. But it does present quite an opportunity." Approaching the blond man, he said "You see, I can appreciate a talent, such as yours; my eyes aren't blinded by pride like my son's were." Raising his arms, he made his offer, raising his voice the further he went. "Join me and take Frieza's place at my side as the supreme ruler of the universe!"

The swordsman answered quickly. "Not a chance."

The alien seemed unperturbed by this response. "Now don't be too hasty. Imagine, this and every other world would be but the merest of baubles in your collection. Playthings for your amusement; subject to your every whim."

There wasn't a response. "No? Alright, but grant me this." Moving one of his hands in front of him as his other felt to his side, he asked "Allow me to examine your sword. A weapon of such obvious quantity practically begs to be admired. You have nothing to fear from me."

Even she knew that alien was up to something. Her mind screamed for the blond man to not give in to the request, almost begged for him to not even consider it. To do absolutely anything but give him the sword. Yet, her mouth stayed firmly shut despite her growing need to scream out, leaving her to watch in trepidation.

The request caused a look of amusement to cross the swordsman's face. Reaching for the hilt and drawing the blade, he said "So you want to see my sword, huh?" Holding it out in front of him, he flipped it upside down, the tip pointing to the ground. "Here, catch."

Her horror-stricken eyes watched as the blade flew through the air and was caught easily by the alien. Looking at the blade's edge, he murmured "Yes…yes indeed. Remarkable craftsmanship. And I have a hunch that you would not have defeated my son were it not for this sword." Moving his eyes back to the young man, he said "What do you say?"

"Believe what you want to."

'Run, you idiot, he'll kill you!' her mind shrieked as each excruciating second passed by. That bloody sword had already made chop suey out of one man, she really don't want to watch a repeat performance again; in this life or another one.

That was when the alien's attitude and tone completely changed, just as she knew it would. Whether he was born on some distant planet or here, bad guys were bad guys; they all acted the same. Raising the sword vertically in front of him and holding it with both hands, he announced "Ha! Aright then, I will! I say that without this sword, you're nothing!! THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE!!"

With a lunge, he swung the sword at the man, intending to cut him down where he stood. Rapid cries of 'no' rang in her head as she felt hot tears building up around her eyes. 'Not another death, please' she begged. The swordsman's response, however, wasn't what she expected. In an instant, he had his hand raised, catching the blade easily.

Caught off guard, the alien struggled to free the sword, veins popping up all over his arms. A golden aura roared around the youth as he stared the man down. "So much for your theory," he mocked as he took a step towards his foe, the alien stepping back each time the young man moved towards him. "You should know that the weapon doesn't make the man."

Raising his other hand, he pointed it right at the alien's chest and fired a light beam through his body.

* * *

Videl stood on the dew covered grass, staring at the sunrise with a blanket wrapped around her body.

Yesterday had been startling. It wasn't everyday you had someone you knew tell you he was an alien and had been in life-or-death situations from the moment he turned four. It was a lot to take in all at once.

Yet she didn't know what was worse: being able to believe a story like that or actually seeing them. Sometimes she just wished that this hadn't happened; that it didn't take horrific dreams for her to obtain what she wanted. She had always suspected Son Gohan of hiding a secret but now she regretted learning about it. Don't get her wrong, she was glad she knew but she rather it came from a different route. She could live without ever having to see death and wanton maiming.

Currently, she was at the Son house, taking in the scenery of a beautiful sunrise. Gohan's life story had taken quite a bit of time to go over and his mother, Chichi, had insisted she stay the night. Seeing no harm in it, the Satan girl agreed.

Unfortunately, she had her nightmare again. She'd been awake for the past couple hours, too afraid to go to sleep. Even though Gohan had pledged to help her out of this matter, she wished it was already over.

Stretching a bit, the Satan girl headed back into the house, where she found Gohan sitting at the kitchen table. It seemed he hadn't gotten any sleep either, which helped cheer the dark haired girl a little. Misery loved company and at least she wasn't the only one losing sleep.

"Bad night?" she asked as she sat at the table.

In response, the boy nodded. "I spent all night trying to think of a way to stop those dreams of yours." Looking at her, he couldn't help but add "And I see you had another one too."

Videl nodded her head. "This time I saw a gold warrior with a sword. He sliced up this guy who looked like Frieza and then blew a hole through his friend."

Gohan nodded his head and grunted. "Trunks defeating Frieza and King Cold. That's not too bad."

Fury filled the girl's eyes. "Not bad?!" she nearly shouted. "I saw that guy kill two people! Even if they are evil, they're still people!"

The Son boy gave her a look. "I know you're not use to seeing people die but believe me, there are worst deaths. I was there when Trunks finished off those tyrants and that was the cleanest battle I've ever been around."

Videl just slouched in her chair. "You know, when I wanted to find out about your secrets, this wasn't the way I'd imagine I'd find them out."

Gohan chuckled. "Well, if it's worth anything, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just make them stop."

The boy nodded his head. "Well, I was trying to think of people I know who could help us. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who could help with dreams."

That was when Chichi entered the room, heading for the kitchen. Taking notice of the two teens, she commented "Well, you two are up early."

Gohan gave her a small smile. "Couldn't sleep."

"That a fact?" the Son woman said as she approached the stove, turning it on.

"Yeah, I was trying to think of someone that could help Videl with her dreams and I couldn't think of anyone."

Chichi nodded her head. "Who'd you consider?"

"Bulma, Dende, Piccolo, and that's about it," the Son boy rattled off.

"Pretty short list there," Videl commented, a little disappointed. Were three people all he could think of in several hours?

"A scientist and two aliens, that's who you think of to deal with dreams?" Chichi asked, not at all impressed. "You'd think someone who knew spiritual voodoo would be better candidates."

The demi-saiyan scratched the back of his head. "But I don't know anyone who would know that kind of stuff."

"I'm sure there's someone around that knows that kind of stuff. I know the pervert had a sister that ran around and acted as if she knew everything. Though if you ask me, that Baba is nothing more than a hack."

"Who?" the Satan girl asked as she noticed Gohan light up.

"She's a fortune teller who deals with mystical phenomenon," the Son boy said giddily. "I can't believe I didn't think about her!"

Chichi rolled her eyes. "You think about those Nameks every time you have a problem. Seriously, there are other people around, myself included. We may not have green skin but we can be helpful."

Gohan rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, we can head to Baba's after breakfast. Do you know where she lives, Mom?"

That was where the Son woman shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know where she lives. You might want to ask the pervert. He should know."

Videl turned her head to look at Gohan. "The pervert?"

This time, a blush covered the boy's face. "Master Roshi. He…likes ladies…a lot."

The Satan girl narrowed her eyes. "How much is a lot?"

"Umm…just watch out for his hands. He likes to touch…with or without permission."

* * *

Videl had never been so embarrassed in her life. Right after breakfast, which was the best breakfast she ever had, Gohan's mother had demanded that the Satan girl take a "purity test" before she went traveling with her "baby boy." They had just stepped out of the house when the mother of two made her demand.

Apparently, Gohan felt the exact same way she did as his face had gone as red as hers. "Mooooom! We don't have time for this!"

"I refuse to have my child flying around with a hussy," Chichi declared, not the least bit hesitant.

"But Mom, Videl stayed at the house last night!"

"Where I could keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't have any ulterior motives here. I won't be able to watch her when you're away."

"But you were in your room the whole night! How could you keep an eye on her?"

"I had the video camera watching her."

Videl's eye twitched. She had thought she saw a small camera light but had ignored it. And where did this woman come off with her being impure?! She was the most pure person on the planet!

Wait a minute…why did she care what that crazy woman thought?! And did she call her a hussy?!

"Hey lady, I am _not_ a hussy!" Videl shouted, scaring some birds to fly off out of fear. "I am _not_ gonna try and sleep with your son when you're not looking either so quit thinking crazy thoughts!"

Chichi did not look convinced. "There's only one way we can settle this." Walking a few yards away, she shouted "NIMBUS!!" which almost caused the Satan girl and the two Son boys to go deaf.

A moment later, a small orange cloud came rushing in, stopping right in front of the Son woman. Turning to face the daughter of Satan, she said "If you can sit on this cloud, then you can travel with my son. If you can't, then you're on your own."

Videl looked skeptically at the cloud. Sit on a cloud? Was she nuts? But wait, why did that cloud come when the woman shouted? Was this some sort of magic cloud?

This had to be some weird dream.

Well, if this was a dream, it was better than the ones she had been having. Who was to say she wouldn't just land on her butt if she jumped on it? There was only one way to find out.

Any protests Gohan was making in her defense went unnoticed by the Satan girl as she walked to the cloud. Leaping into the air, she landed on the orange cloud and found herself sitting right on the fluffy thing. Well what do ya know?

"Hey look!" Gohan's younger brother shouted as he looked at the Satan girl. Both Gohan and Chichi stopped their arguing and looked at the sight of Videl sitting on the cloud. The Son boy just watched in amazement while the Son mother looked on in satisfaction.

"Well, that matter is settled," Chichi said. "You two can go on this wild goose chase of yours."

"Hey, can I go? Can I, can I, can I?" the younger Son boy suddenly asked, practically begging.

Before Chichi could answer, Gohan beat her to it. "Sure you can, squirt. We might need ya when we meet Baba."

At Chichi's glare, the Son boy stuttered "Y-you heard Dad's s-stories. Baba's not gonna h-help us for f-free."

That seemed to mean something to the woman as her eyes widened. "But won't you be enough?"

"Well, Goten here could use the experience. If he can fight other people, he'll be more capable of defending himself if the occasion arises."

That seemed to mollify the Son woman as she looked into the large, pleading eyes of her youngest. "Okay Goten, you can go too, but don't cause any trouble for your brother, okay?"

Goten nodded his head very fast, a large smile on his face. "Uh huh, uh huh," he replied before running over to Videl, leaping onto the cloud in front of her. "Let's go, Nimbus!" he cried out as he threw a small fist into the air.

The next thing Videl knew, the cloud had taken off into the air, flying over the forest next to the Son house. She had been so startled, her arms wrapped around the little boy in front of her, her hands grabbing onto his shirt as Goten yelled out "Wooohoooo!"

Behind them, Gohan was flying after him, without the aid of the cloud. He caught up to them a couple seconds later and flew right next to them.

The last thing any of them heard of Chichi was her call to be careful.

* * *

To R: Thanks.

To texaspeach: The Dragonballs. You know, there are seven of them; they grant you any wish you want. Like immortality. Or Bulma's panties.

To Sigfried Wild: I see I caught your attention again lol.


	7. Welcome to Pervert Island

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Easily my favorite out of this entire story. I'll let ya'll decide on how good it is though. Enjoy.

* * *

It had been awhile since the three travelers had left the Son house. That was enough time for Videl to relax as she flew on a small, orange cloud. The little boy sitting in front of her seemed completely ecstatic about the trip so far, despite the Satan girl holding onto him for dear life. Though, she had relaxed her grip on him and his orange and blue clothes, she still made sure she was holding on. One never knew when they could suddenly fall off a magical cloud.

Dear Kami, did she really just think that?

Flying next to them was Gohan, who was wearing a dark blue gi. Somehow he was keeping up with the flying cloud, not looking the least bit strained.

Videl kept her eye on him. Now that she wasn't panicking in her mind, she was able to focus back on the conversation the Son boy had with his mom. Something about it was nagging her, specifically about this Baba person.

"Hey Gohan!" she called out, hoping he could hear her over the wind.

Fortunately, he did as he turned his head to look at her. "Yes Videl?"

"What was all that about Baba and not working for free?" she asked.

The boy nodded his head in understanding. "Baba doesn't just offer her services for everyone's convenience. She likes to be paid or entertained for them."

"Why not just pay her?" the Satan girl said. "That sounds like the easiest way to handle her."

"That's the problem. She wants a large amount of money, to the point only the superrich can afford it. Being as Goten and I don't have that much money, we're gonna have to go with entertaining her."

Videl narrowed her eyes. Did this boy just forget where she came from? Her dad was absolutely loaded with cash! He made more than he could spend and it would stay that way until the day he died. So with him rich, that in turn made her rich.

But before she'd mention that, she wanted to know about this entertaining business. "So how does she like to be entertained?"

"Last I heard we'd have to fight some of her best fighters."

Fighting huh? Fighting was good. It was very good. In fact, it would help the Satan girl get over some of her pent up anger from this morning, thanks to Chichi. She wouldn't mention the money thing unless they couldn't beat these fighters of Baba.

Then again, Chichi had sounded as if Gohan could beat them all without breaking a sweat. Perhaps it was possible that her money wouldn't be needed. Oh well, it was always best to have a backup plan.

That was when the dark haired girl noticed they were flying over water; the ocean to be exact. "Does Baba live on an island?" she called out.

Gohan shook his head. "No, she doesn't. I don't know where she lives but I know someone who does. We're gonna stop at his house so he can point us in the right direction."

Videl felt a chill go down her spine. "Is it that pervert your mom mentioned?"

"Yep!" Goten answered happily. "He's funny! You'll like him Vi-Va…what's your name?"

The Satan girl narrowed her eyes. "Videl."

"Hi Videl! I'm Goten!"

Before she could respond, Gohan spoke up. "Well, we're almost there."

Looking ahead of them, Videl soon saw a small island with a house on it. The closer they got to it, the more she could see the pink paint gleaming from the house, along with "Kame House" painted in big red letters on it.

Changing course, the three descended to the sandy beach, Gohan touching down first with Goten leaping off the cloud a second later.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard as an old man burst through the wall of the house, crashing to the ground with wooden debris around him. "Damn it Roshi; you dirty old pervert!" a woman's voice yelled out a second later.

That was when a beautiful blonde woman emerged from the hole Roshi had made. She was in light blue pants and vest, and had a murderous look in her blue eyes. Behind her, a little blonde girl in a pink dress followed, a big grin on her face as she watched the start of a murder.

However, that was when the little girl took notice of the new arrivals on the island. "Mommy, Mommy!" she cried out. "It's Goten and Gohen!"

"Hey Marron!" Goten greeted back as he scurried over to her.

"Gohen?" Videl questioned as she looked to Gohan.

The boy chuckled. "Marron has a little trouble pronouncing her a's. She's managed to say it in dada but anything else, she just can't grasp."

That was when the blonde woman looked up at her guest. "Hello Gohan, Goten," she greeted emotionless. "Excuse me for a moment, I have to kill Roshi."

"What did he do this time?" Gohan asked as he approached her.

A small blush crossed the woman's face. "He was hanging from the ceiling fan so he could look down my shirt. Then he tried to lower himself so he could grope me."

Gohan scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that Eighteen." Looking to where the old man had fallen, he was surprised to see Roshi missing. "Huh? Where'd he go?"

"Hey, I haven't seen you before!" a lecherous voice announced. Turning his head, Gohan saw Roshi standing right in front of Videl, one of his hands on her breast. "Don't mind me; I'm just a poor blind man that has to see people with his hands."

One of Videl's eyes was twitching as her face grew redder and redder. Grabbing the hand that was groping her, she tightened her grip on the old man's hand, causing bone to snap and crack. Roshi let out a howl of pain as he tried to pull his hand back, being unsuccessful about it. With her other hand, the Satan girl slammed a fist into his face, sending him flying as she released her grip on his hand.

However, Roshi was flying right at Eighteen. Raising a leg, the woman leaned to a side and swung a kick, nailing the flying hermit and sending him flying off the island. He crashed into the ocean soon after.

Cheers and clapping could be heard coming from Marron as she enjoyed the show, Goten smiling like a kid in the candy store. Videl just stared out at the water, her arms covering her chest as she seethed in rage. When the old man resurfaced, she was gonna kill him, bring him back to life, then burn him alive. No one touched her…_anywhere_.

Acting as if nothing happened, Eighteen turned her attention back to Gohan. "So tell me, why are you here?"

The Son boy was looking at the water, just like Videl. "Well, we were here to talk to Roshi."

"Please tell me you're taking him away."

"Sorry; we just want to know where his sister lives."

Eighteen blinked. "He has a sister? Is she just as bad as he is?"

Gohan shook his head as he chuckled. "No, she's not into the things Roshi is. She does like playing mind games though."

Eighteen rolled her eyes. "As long as she doesn't visit, I could care less." Looking out to sea, she said "It might take a while for the pervert to wash up. You're free to come in and wait."

Nodding his head, the Son boy walked to Videl as Eighteen and the children went inside. "Hey Videl, we're gonna wait inside for Roshi to come back. Let me help you down—"

"Did you see what he did to me?!" the Satan girl screeched. "I'll boil him alive!"

Gohan blinked. "Umm, sorry?"

Videl narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, you'll be sorry. I'll get you for bringing that pervert into my life." Leaping off the cloud, the girl stormed to the house, leaving the Son boy flabbergasted.

"But I didn't do anything!"

* * *

Everyone was sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying their own brand of silence. That was until Krillen entered the room. Upon seeing his surprise guests, he said "Hey Gohan! Long time, no see!"

Gohan smiled. "Hey Krillen, you look well."

Videl just stared at the man. This was Krillen? But…he wasn't bald! Or dead for that matter. In fact, he had a healthy head of hair and…wait, where was his nose?

"Married life does that to a guy," the man said with a wide smile. "So what are you doing here?"

"We were here to ask Roshi where Baba lives but he's taking a swim right now."

"We? Baba?" Krillen looked around the table, seeing Goten and Videl. "Who's the girl?"

Gohan coughed. "This is Videl, a classmate of mine from school. She's been having dreams and we need Baba to take a look at her."

Krillen blinked. "Classmate huh?" He moved closer to the Son boy before whispering. "Just a classmate, Gohan? She's very pretty if you know what I mean."

The boy's face went red. "Just a classmate."

The man smirked. "If you say so." Moving again, he sat in a chair next to Eighteen. "So what kind of dreams is she having that makes you want her to see Baba? I didn't know she did anything with dreams."

Gohan looked to Videl, asking for her permission to tell him her dreams. She just nodded her affirmation. "Videl's been dreaming about some of our past battles."

A serious look went over Krillen's face. "Which ones."

"From what she's told me, there was the one with my dad and Piccolo fighting Raditz; dad fighting Vegeta; when Frieza killed you and caused my dad to become a Super Saiyan." It was here Videl saw Krillen visibly flinch. If there was any doubt that the Krillen she saw get blown into smithereens wasn't this man, they were lessened.

"And last night, she saw Trunks slice and diced Frieza to bits. There have been others but none as…graphic as these."

Krillen nodded his head. "I see. Hopefully you can stop it before it shows our fight with the Saiyans."

Videl frowned. "Is that bad."

The short man looked at her. "Yeah, a lot of people died that day."

The girl paled. These dreams could get worse?

Gohan sighed. "Would you know where Baba lives? I'd liked to stop her from having any more of these dreams. Who knows what'll happen if she keeps seeing them."

Krillen nodded. "Fortunately for you, I know where she lives. Just fly west from here. You'll run into a desert and later an oasis. She lives right in the middle of it; you can't miss it."

Gohan nodded his head gratefully. "Thanks Krillen." Looking to Videl and Goten, he said "Alright guys, we're out of here."

Goten immediately leapt out of his chair. "Bye!" he called out as he headed for the front door.

Videl rose much slower from her own chair. "Thank you," she said softly.

That was when Krillen stood up and walked over to her. "Hey, you made the right choice in coming to Gohan. If there's anyone that'll get you out of this, it's him."

The Satan girl nodded her head and thanked him again. Turning, she headed out the door, followed shortly by Gohan.

It was then that the former monk sighed. "Well, I better go fish out the hermit. No telling where the current swept him to this time."


	8. Fortuneteller Baba

There it was, just as Krillen had said it would be. They had reached a desert to the west of Kami Island and soon came across an oasis, though the body of water was much larger than any of them thought. A lake would've been a better description.

And sitting towards a side of the large pool were five little islands. Looking down at it, the islands formed a cross-like shaped; each island holding some sort of building on it. At the water's edge, a large igloo building sat with a small bridge leading out of it. The bridge led to one of the islands where another igloo shaped building sat. This time, however, three bridges, one on each side of the square island branched out. The bridges to the sides led to small, lush islands while the one behind the building led to what appeared to be a round fighting ring. Another bridge behind the ring led to an even larger igloo shaped building.

"Well, at least we know Baba's putting her money to use," Videl muttered.

Landing at the water's edge, the three travelers saw a line in front of the igloo building, along with a spot covered in expensive cars. Considering the vehicles and the dress of most of the people in line, they were mostly rich people. Men in tuxes and women in various colors of dresses chatted to themselves, each one with a snobbish look on their face.

And at the front of the line was a floating ghost with a straw hat and empty expression on its face. In its hands, a clipboard and pen were being used.

That was when an unseen rich couple existed the building, snobbishly laughing at some sort of fortune they had received. That was when the ghost said "Have a pleasant day," in an overly nice voice.

"Well, this looks like the place," Gohan commented. "Might as well get in line."

"Would the next in line please approach," the ghost asked aloud as the three travelers stood at the end of the line. In response, a short man and a tall woman with identically snobbish faces approached. "Come this way," the ghost another ghost said as it appeared at the front door. The couple snobbishly obeyed and disappeared into the building.

Goten watched the scene with interest. "How long is it going to take before our turn?" the young Son asked.

Looking towards the front, Gohan began mentally counting the couples. "I see…five couples in front of us so it could take awhile."

Videl scowled. She was not going to wait Kami knows how long just to see this old hag. So, she took matters into her own hands. "Make way! Daughter of Hercule coming through!"

Pushing her way through the rich snobs, who responded with snobbish…sounds. However, when they recognized Videl as Hercule's daughter, they immediately backed down. They may have been rich and snobby but they didn't stand a chance at making the girl back down.

All the while, Gohan and Goten stared at the girl's action, the first with an open mouth and the second with curiosity. They continued staring until Videl reached the front of the line and turned to look at them. "What are you two waiting for?" she yelled at them. "Get your butts up here!"

Goten grinned and ran to the girl. Gohan just continued staring for a moment before composing himself. Making his way to the daughter of Satan, he uneasily apologized to the couples he passed. All he got were snobbish acceptance.

It was then that the mismatched couple from earlier exited the building, acting insulted. "How dare that woman say our money wasn't good enough!" the man exclaimed in a snobbish tone.

"Honestly darling, she must be a fake," the woman agreed in equal snobbishness. Their complaints fell on deaf ears though as their snobbish colleagues ignored them. They had to keep up their snobbish appearance after all.

"Would the next in line please approach," the ghost asked once more. Moving, the three travelers headed towards the front door, where another ghost floated. "Come this way," it said and led the way into the building.

The smell of incense hit the three upon entering the building. A large room greeted them, completely lit by candles. If Baba spent her money lavishly on her house, then she was doing her best to keep her electric bill down.

"My, my," a hoarse voice said, catching the travelers' attention. Appearing in a doorway, an old woman in a black robe and hat sat on a large crystal ball. Pink hair grew from underneath the hat sitting on the wrinkly face of the woman, her two large eyes starting at the three. "What a treat I have," she said. "It's been awhile Son Gohan. Come to sweep me off my feet?"

"Hi Baba," Gohan greeted. "I'm here to receive your services."

"I gathered as much," Baba replied. "You're here about the girl's dreams, yes?"

All three of them blinked their eyes. "H-how did you know that?" Videl stuttered.

Baba gave her a look. "I'm sitting on a crystal ball that shows me the future, how else?"

Deciding to head off an impending catfight, Gohan asked "We understand there's some sort of payment needed for your services."

"That there is," the woman agreed. "Though I imagine your won't be using money."

The Son boy scratched the back of his head as he smiled. "That's right."

Sighing, Baba floated to another doorway. "This way."

Immediately, the three followed the old woman, walking onto the bridge and through the building behind it. Soon, they arrived at the circular fighting ring. "I believe you know my terms, yes?" Baba asked.

"We have to fight some fighters without all of us losing, right?" Gohan answered.

"Five to be exact. Each fighter fights until they lose and then another member of the team enters. Since there are three of you, you can only lose three times. We'll be following standard tournament rules as well; falling out of the ring, unconsciousness, and death will cause you to lose the match."

Gohan nodded his head. Turning to Videl and Goten, he asked "Okay, which one of you guys wants to go first?"

Videl answered immediately. "I'll go first. I'm in the mood to break something, be it bone or body."

Gohan couldn't help but shiver. It was best to let the Satan girl let out her frustrations on someone other than him. He just couldn't help but feel sorry for her opponent.

Leaping onto the ring, Videl began cracking her knuckles. She just couldn't wait for her opponent to show. It was because of this, the dark haired girl never saw the mischievous glint in Baba's eye.

"First fighter appear!" the old woman called out. From the building in front of them, a large, muscular creature appeared.

It was a grotesque looking thing with grey skin and bulging muscles. It stood taller than anyone there and only wearing ragged looking pants; no shirt or shoes to be seen anywhere on its body. It had a face only a mother could love, and that was a stretch. An oversized jaw, a hooked nose, large ears, and noticeable warts made up its face while a mess of orange hair covered its head.

If Videl could call it anything, the first would be butt ugly. The second would be that it was a troll. She was leaning towards the former this time.

"Meet your first opponent, Trollfjorden. Trollfjorden, you know what to do."

The troll just grunted as it set its sights on the much smaller girl. For a moment, Videl felt she was an ant to this giant, but then quickly pushed that away. She was the protector of Satan City after! She dealt with thugs that towered over her like giants and came out of the victor.

In a loud voice, Baba shouted "Begin!"

With a loud war cry, Videl raced at the troll, swinging a roundhouse kick that landed on the creature's stomach. All the troll did was grunt from the impact, otherwise showing no affect from the blow. A bit startled, the Satan girl threw a rapid series of punches into Trollfjorden's gut, always making contact, but not causing the thing to make a reaction.

Backing off, Videl took note on how much damage she had done and nearly grimaced. This…thing looked as if it hadn't been hurt in the slightest. Looking at her with a grumpy expression, Trollfjorden bared its teeth and raised one of its massive arms. With a roar, he threw a punch at Videl, who dodged the blow with ease. However, she couldn't help but take notice the damage to the tile floor as it shattered on impact by the punch.

Well, there was a bit of good news. Despite her inability to actually hurt this creature, she was at least faster than it. All she had to do was make sure it didn't hit her and she at least stood a fighting chance.

Trollfjorden slowly removed his fist from the ground, not looking the least bit discourage, with a yell he swung his other arm at the Satan girl, who hadn't moved out of arms' length, trying to clothesline her.

This time, Videl ducked the attack, feeling the wind from the arm as it flew over her head. Instantly, the Satan girl retaliated, jumping into the air as she threw a punch at the troll, landing her blow on his face. She nearly gave out a cry of joy as she caused the creature's head to jerk to aside, but refused to let it out as she saw her attack didn't affect him as she wished. Landing back on the ground, she backed away from the creature. Wanting to put a little distance between her and the strong troll, Videl moved towards a side of the ring, waiting for her opponent's next move.

Turning towards her, Trollfjorden lumbered over to her, his eyes locked firmly on her. Then out of nowhere, the troll put on some speed, closing the distance between it and Videl much faster than she had anticipated. The next thing she knew, Trollfjorden's large knee had slammed into her stomach, causing her to lose her breath as pain raced throughout her body. Never had she felt a blow like this; it was practically insane! The amount of pain that was rushing through her body was greater than anything she had felt before.

The next thing she knew, the troll had grabbed her by an arm and threw her through the air. She landed in the middle of the ring, but started to roll on the tile surface before stopping. Not exactly the move she would've done in this situation but then, how did she know what a troll thought like?

With her eyes shut tight, Videl tried to steady her breathing and overcome some of the pain she was in. Gradually, she opened an eye to see Trollfjorden stomping towards her, no doubt about to put those gross, moss-covered feet to use on her.

Quickly, the Satan girl scrambled to her feet, though she wished she didn't have to. She wasn't in the right state just yet, but then, it wasn't as if she had a choice. Slowly, she backed away from the approaching creature.

Slowly, Trollfjorden began picking up speed, running towards the smaller girl. With a fist drawn back, he threw it at the girl, obtaining the same result as his first punch as it hit the ground. However, instead of dodging outside, Videl had moved inside, giving the troll another shot at her. With his other fist, he swung it at her, once again missing her at his blow slammed into the tiled floor.

Now that she was standing between his tree trunk-like arms, Videl threw a weak uppercut at the troll's chin, just barely causing him to tilt his head back. Jumping backwards, the Satan girl became surprised as she felt the heel of her shoes cover over the edge of the ring. Trying to regain her balance, Videl swayed her body back and forth as she stood on the fronts of her shoes.

Unfortunately, Trollfjorden took notice of this development. Not wasting time, he swung one of his legs up, planning to slam his knee into the Satan girl once more. However, Videl was prepared for such an attack. With as much strength as she could muster, she leapt into the air, her hands catching the rising knee. Pushing against it, Videl found herself rising above the troll's head. Flipping, the girl flew over her opponent and landed on the ground behind him, her back facing its.

Now came the Satan girl's problem. So far she hadn't been able to hurt this miscreant while he could land one or two blows on her and make her want to visit the emergency ward. As she turned around, she suddenly saw the back of the troll's knee. Now there was a thought; attack the creature's joints! She didn't have much to lose at this point, so why not?

Leaping forward, Videl stuck her arm out, bending it at the elbow, protruding it. With her other arm, she raised it and used her hand to grab her other hand, which had balled into a fist. Letting out a war cry, Videl rammed her elbow into the back of Trollfjorden's knee, causing it to buckle.

This caused Trollfjorden to let out a cry of pain as it felt down. However, since it had only one leg on the ground at the time of Videl's blow, the troll couldn't help but fall forward. And since it was already close to the edge of the ring, it fell right onto the pavement outside of the fighting ring.

Baba's eyes widened. "She actually won?!" she exclaimed.

Breathing hard, Videl wiped her forehead with the back of one of her forearms. "Well, that's one down," she commented. Turning towards the Son boys, she called out "I think I'm done here. One of you take my place."

* * *

To x1x: He is a true hero for the pervert in all of us.

Many thanks to Anonymous Void for helping me come up with Baba's fighters. The troll was the first one, the next four will be revealed soon enough.

Fun fact: Trollfjorden is the name of one of Norway's most famous fjords. When I was researching what a troll actually was, I came across a nice site that was dedicated to Norway's many fjords. Just thought I'd share that with ya'll.


	9. Mister Doggie and Frankenstein

A recent review for the previous chapter brought up some very valid points about the current story arc that I felt was something that many people would feel similarly about. I feel that many of you readers would feel very put off by what'll happen in the next few fights, so I wish to explain some things about it at the end of the chapter. Hopefully the explanation there will be reasonable.

* * *

"And I was so sure I would've won this round," Baba grumpled. Looking at Gohan, she called out "Well, whose gonna fight next? I don't have all day."

"Not exactly happy, is she?" Videl commented as she stood next to Gohan. Well, she was actually sitting on the ground next to a standing Gohan, but that was just a small detail. Her bruises need a little rest after all.

"Baba doesn't like to lose," the Son boy admitted. "Plus, you did fight a guy roughly three times your size and strength. She probably figured the match would go her way."

"It probably would have too if I hadn't got that lucky break," the Satan girl confessed. "I could barely hurt the guy."

"Well, fighting isn't always about strength," Gohan said. "Sometimes luck is all you need."

Meanwhile, little Goten stood in the middle of the ring, waiting for his opponent to come out. He had only fought two people in his entire life, so now would be his chance to see how strong he really was.

"Here comes the next fighter!" Baba announced. The next thing anyone knew, snarls and barks could be heard echoing out of the igloo building. Soon, a large, wolf-like creature exited the building, a metal collar wrapped around its neck and being held by a long metal chain.

Surprisingly, the wolf stood on its hind legs, almost as if it could walk on two legs. Sharp claws adorned its hands and a snout with nasty looking teeth sprouted from its face. Shaggy brown hair covered the thing's body from its pointy ears to its toes.

"Is that a werewolf?!" Videl shouted, flying to her feet.

Gohan stared at it with wide eyes. "I…I think so."

Goten just seemed to be oblivious to that fact. "Hey! Look at the doggie!"

The werewolf howled in rage as it struggled to move forward. Slowly, the chain inched forward, straining against the pressure being put on it. Unfortunately, due to a weakness in the metal, the chain couldn't withstand the stress it was under and snapped, releasing the werewolf from its restraint and allowing it to run straight for Goten.

"Hey Mister Doggie!" the little Son boy said as his opponent closed in on him. Despite his happy nature, Goten couldn't help but notice the "doggie" didn't look at him very friendly. When the werewolf rose one of its hands into the air, it swung it at him. The little boy managed to jump backwards just in time to avoid most of the blow.

However, three claws managed to snag the boy's shirt, creating three rip marks on them. With wide eyes, little Goten stared at the snarling wolf before looking at the tears in his shirt. "Hey, that wasn't very nice!" he whined.

"Mister Doggie" didn't seem too remorseful by the statement as it lunged at Goten once more, its clawed hands extended in front of it.

This time, however, Goten reached out and grabbed one of the werewolf's wrists with both hands and used its momentum to swing it over his head. A loud yelp was heard as the wolf slammed hard onto the tiled floor. Releasing his hold, Goten stepped back and began waving one of his index fingers at it. "Bad Mister Doggie; very bad Mister Doggie. You should know better than to ruin people's clothes."

A low growl emanated from the werewolf's throat. Immediately, it rolled onto its stomach and leapt at the little boy, once again with its hands out to tear him to little pieces.

It never got the chance, though as Goten stuck out one of his fists. The fist made contact with the werewolf's chin, causing its head to snap backwards and stop its momentum. Its eyes had bulged comically out of its head before falling onto its back, motionless except for the slight twitch in its right foot.

"Gah!!" Baba cried out. Looking over to Gohan, she practically glared daggers. "What is it with you Sons and breaking every fighter I can find?! At this rate, the world will be empty of any good ones!"

In response, Gohan scratched the back of his head. "But Goten only beat one of them."

"So? Your father took out three of my other ones! And this makes four now!"

"Sorry."

"Hmpt," was all the witch said before calling upon her next fighter. This time, a large man appeared; one almost as tall as Trollfjorden had been. However, instead of looking like a monster, it looked more like a man. Old, raggedly clothes covered his tall frame as he looked on with an empty expression. There were a couple of scars on his face along with a couple of bolts sticking out of his neck. All and all, he was an imposing creature.

"Allow me to introduce, Frankenstein!" Baba announced.

Videl frowned. That sounded a bit off. If any of her literature classes at school taught her anything, then Baba had pronounced the name wrong. "Umm, don't you mean Frankenstein?"

"No! Fran-ken-stein, you silly girl!"

"Hey! Don't call me silly!"

"Uhhhhhhhhh," Frankenstein moaned as he stood in the ring. Apparently, the arguing was annoying the man.

"Oh, be quiet," Baba admonished. "Just fight or something."

Frankenstein grunted his affirmation, walking to Goten who looked up at him with a cheerful face. Raising one of his hands, he balled it into a fist and swung it down like a hammer, the pinky side of the hand slamming into the young Son boy's head.

This caused two things to happen. The first was Goten crouching down against his will as pain stung the top of his head. Stars were flashing before his eyes as tears began to appear at the corner of his eyeballs. Any minute now, the young boy looked as if he were about to burst into tears.

The second thing to occur was Frankenstein bringing his hand back to him as he howled in pain. You could see the throbbing on the monster's hand as he rubbed it to ease the hurting appendage.

Meanwhile, Goten had brought his own hands to hold his head as he tried to restrain his emotions. He was a big boy and big boys didn't cry, no matter what. That's what Trunks had told him and if he did cry, he would be a Momma's boy for the rest of his life! There was no way he would be called that, even if he did love his mom a lot. That name was just too embarrassing!

Gritting his teeth, he looked to his larger opponent and glared. He was the one that made him almost cry! If he beat him up, then there was no way he could be a Momma's boy! That and making his brother promise that he wouldn't tell anyone that he almost cried.

Letting out a war cry, Goten charged at Frankenstein. As fast as he could, he threw a rapid session of punches into the giant's stomach, causing him to bend over from the pounding. One could see the agony the monster was in as his eyes were as big as dinner plates and his mouth wide open in a silent scream.

Backing off, the young Son leapt at the still bent fighter and swung a roundhouse kick, the blow landing on Frankenstein's cheek and sending him flying towards the edge of the ring. The giant didn't quite make it though as he hit the tiled surface of the ring, skidding on it until he stopped closed to the ring's edge.

"Take that, you meanie!" Goten shouted at his fallen foe, one of his hands raised in the air in the form of a fist, waving it around in anger.

Frankenstein just laid on the ground, not moving for a few moments. Then slowly, his arms rose off the ring and then lowered back down, the palms of his hands resting on the tiled surface. Pushing down, he raised his body up, getting onto his feet moments later. Gradually, he turned himself around to stare Goten down once more.

This time, however, the monster's eyes were covered with red veins, his teeth clenched tightly together. There was no mistaking the rage that fighter was showing and it was fairly certain he was going to take out his ire on the little Son boy.

Fully facing the boy now, Frankenstein raised both of his hands, aiming them right at his smaller opponent. Grunts were soon being heard as the giant gathered his power, forcing it into his hands. Small bolts of electricity began dancing over his hands, creating a captivating, yet deadly sight.

With a cry, the monster fired a large lightning bolt from his hands, the attack racing for little Goten. The young fighter stared at the bolt, bedazzled by it. It wasn't until the blast was barely a foot from him that he felt the urge to get out of the way. Using his speed, he dove out of the way, barely dodging the lightning as it flew past him.

Unfortunately, Gohan and Videl were standing behind the little boy's position, putting them directly in the path of the electric bolt. Unlike Goten though, their survival instincts were functioning at full capacity; the two ducking below the edge of the ring as the lightning flew over their heads and out into the lake. A bright flash moments later signaled that the attack had struck the water and electrocuted anything that was within its depths.

"…wow," was all Videl could say as she stared out into the lake. She hadn't seen anything like that in her life and to say that it frightened her would have been an understatement. Even now, she saw floating fish rising to the lake's surface, assuring her that if she had been hit with that lightning bolt, it would've been her corpse rising from the watery depths.

"Goten, don't let that attack hit you!" Gohan shouted to the ring as he stood back on his feet.

"Y-yeah…o-o-okay," the boy said as he stared at the ever increasing number of dead fish.

"Pay attention Goten! He's charging up another blast!"

Goten immediately looked at Frankenstein, his hands once again dancing with electricity. He yelped when he saw a smaller bolt of lightning flying at him a moment later, leaping off the ring as the attack struck his previous spot.

Several more bolts flew through the air, Goten dodging each one by twisting his body in midair, using his speed to get either higher in the air or down to the ground, then leaping back into the air. It was only a matter of time before the little boy made one little mistake and end the match with his defeat. Videl was pretty sure not even this extraordinary kid could survive a bolt of pure electricity.

That was when the young Son boy made a counterattack. As the latest lightning bolt flew passed him, Goten flung one of his hands out in front of him and fired a beam of light at his giant opponent. Due to Frankenstein charging up his next lightning bolt, the monster couldn't get out of the way of the attack. The light beam collided with his chest, causing him to not only lose his focus and thus the electricity gathered at his fingertips, but made him lose his balance as well. Because of that, Frankenstein took a step backwards to maintain his footing.

And that was when the monster found out that he had made a mistake on his choice of position. Being as he was already at the edge of the arena, his foot never made contact with the tile surface, descending to the ground outside of the ring. Adjusting, Frankenstein bent the knees of both his legs and leaned forward, his backmost knee falling onto the ring and stabilizing him.

However, Goten wasn't about to let his opponent recover from his precarious situation. Rushing headfirst, he rammed his head into the giant's stomach, causing Frankenstein to scream in pain as he fell backwards and landed on the ground outside of the ring. The Son boy landed safely on the monster's stomach, his eyes shut tight, almost afraid to see what the outcome of his attack had been.

When nothing happened, Goten slowly opened his eyes to see he was lying on top of Frankenstein, who looked knocked out. Apparently the giant had hit his head hard when he landed on the ground.

For a moment, Baba stared at the scene before growling. "Just great. Another fighter down the garbage disposal. This whole stinking planet will run out of decent warriors at the rate these Sons beat them."

* * *

I picked up the Fran-ken-stein pronunciation from a Mel Brooks movie, Young Frankenstein. Very funny movie if anyone is interested. I couldn't resist throwing it in.

To STD: You're welcome. Had no idea you were Norwegian but at this point, I shouldn't be surprised. There are so many people from around the world on this site, it should be expected. Well, glad you're liking the story.

To R: I see an ellipse at the end of your comment. I'm guessing you'r wondering where this is all going lol

To A-man: I'm glad you like the story. Now let's see if I can't help explain the current story arc. First off, you're right about the fighting being pointless. It's no surprise how this is going to end. However there are things I wish to explore with this arc; the first of them being Videl. Right now, the girl has stumbled into a world she had no idea existed and the Baba fights are here to keep that fact firmly in her mind. She's gotten a story about all of this, even dreamed about it, but she hasn't truly seen it with her own eyes and not be thinking about how she might be the next victim.

The next matter concerns Goten. Despite him being a Super Saiyan at the age of 7, he has absolutely no battle experience whatsoever. It's one thing to fight someone for practice, which is all he's done at this point; it's another when someone wants to actually kill you. As the fight with the werewolf showed, he didn't expect an opponent to mean harm to him until the very last moment. Heck, in the anime, he was completely terrified when his own mother was trying to train him and she actually had an advantage on him. In essense, this is to give him a taste of serious combat.

Thirdly, there are more factors that affect a battle than who is stronger than who. As Frieza once said, "It's not always the strongest that wins." While there aren't many factors that would affect a saiyan during battle, there are still some that can turn the tide against them. For instance, their stomachs. With as much food as they consume, I find it hard to believe that not once has their appitite not hinder their fighting ability is some capacity. They're like vacume cleaners during a snack and a blackhole during an actual meal. To say they don't feel some hunger every six or so hours would be absurd. And with the way we've all seen Goku whine about not being fed, it'd be crazy not to expect him to go nuts from hunger during an exceptionally long fight (the "5 minute" fight on Namek comes to mind lol).

Now the matter concerning Baba. Baba does not do anything for free, regardless what the anime has shown. In the manga, Baba didn't show up at either the Kame House or the Son house during the Battle with the Saiyans and the Cell Games respectively. And she only does jobs for Otherword because its a job, not because she's doing it for goodwill. She likes money too much to just give away her services, hence the superrich being the only people that can possibly afford her services.

So far the fights have had the Werewolf and Frankenstein had only had them be able to withstand one assault from Goten before his second defeated them. I've got some explanation as to how this occurs in the next few chapters, so I won't eleaborate here. But I do think given their calibor (clearly higher than the fighters that have been showing at the recent WMATs) and possible help, this would be the extent of their fighting prowse, especially against a Z warrior. I hope this has in someway made sense of this arc.


	10. Baba's Rules

"So how many more people do we have to beat?" Videl questioned as she watched Goten crawl back into the ring.

"I think two," Gohan answered. "Why?"

"I was just wondering if you think your little brother is gonna be able to keep fighting. He looks a bit tired after that last one."

The Son boy looked at his brother. To be sure, his last opponent had been much tougher than the previous one, but the little boy didn't look any worse for wear. He even had a big smile on his face, showing how much he was enjoying his time in the ring. He should be alright to take on the last two fighters.

All the while, Baba just glared at the little boy. She was having too much of a déjà vu with this kid. The boy's father had defeated three of her top fighters and this latest incarnation was threatening not only to tie that record but beat it too. That was unacceptable, regardless of who the fighter was and what gene pool he crawled out of.

"Next fighter! Get your scrawny butt out here, now!!" she shouted, her ire visible in her tone.

"Sounds like someone's cranky," Videl commented, smirking as she looked at the witch.

"I guess," was all the older Son said as he looked towards the fighters' quarters. Who knew what else Baba had in store for the trio.

Several minutes went by and no sign of the next fighter appeared. Everyone waited patiently at first, but as time went by, the antsier everyone became. Was there another fighter waiting to be called or did they all run away after Goten defeated Frankenstein? That would've actually been funny the Satan girl though. Grown men…monsters running away from a seven year old boy; what an image.

Apparently, Baba had had a rough day already as her anger overwhelmed her. "Well come out! What's taking so long?!"

The witch was met with a loud moan emanating from the fighters' quarters. That answer seemed to please the fortune teller greatly as a large smirk covered her face.

Videl, on the other hand, felt very annoyed. "What is with this woman and having people who lack the ability to speak? Everyone here can only moan or howl!"

"Perhaps it's just a phase?" Gohan suggested. That remark earned him a scowl from the smaller girl. "What?"

"Gohan…just don't…say anything."

Soon, the person that had moaned emerged from the building. What looked like a very pale man appeared. A bald and crippled man to be exact; all of his hair was messing and he walked with an obvious limp. The clothes he was wearing were rags at best and covered in dirt and grime.

The closer he came though, the more the Satan girl could see and wished she hadn't. There were breaks in the man's skin all over the parts of him you could see. It looked as if he was rotting away right in front of them.

Wait a minute. Moaning, crippled body, rotting skin? "Is that a freaking zombie?!" Videl exclaimed.

As if in conformation, the zombie moaned loudly as it trudged into the ring. It seemed the rotting man was intending to fight this round.

Baba grinned wickedly. "Yes, my dear, this is a zombie. At one time, he was thought to be the greatest martial artists in the world. I forget him name though, but I like to call him…Chuck."

The demi-saiyans and Videl blinked their eyes. Chuck? What kind of name was that?! How could anyone take a fighter seriously with that name?! The old witch must've gone off the deep end or something. Then again, she probably already had.

"Fighters ready!" the old woman shouted, causing Goten to immediately drop into a fighting stance, facing his decomposing opponent. Gohan and Videl just turned their heads to await the incoming action.

"Begin!" was called and the young Son boy immediately charged at…Chuck. His past couple matches had demonstrated to him the value of never dropping your guard. Embarrassing moments didn't happen to people who were always ready after all, and having a wolf cut up your shirt and a giant hit your head hard enough to cause pain were such moments.

Letting out a war cry, Goten swung a punch at Chuck, nailing him right in the chest. A moment later, he was throwing a rapid barrage of punches, each and every one of them landing on the man's body. Indentions marked appeared where each and every blow landed, some of the dents being covered by others.

Ending his attack, Goten swung his leg into the air, landing a roundhouse kick to Chuck's head, causing him to jerk his head to a side as he stumbled. Leaping at his unguarded foe, the young demi-saiyan rammed his elbow into its back, forcing the man to fall to the ground.

Landing on his feet, the boy kept his eyes trained on his opponent. No way was he going to let it surprise him. However, as time went by, he started to wonder if that was unnecessary.

"Is…is that it?" the Son boy said, blinking his eyes in confusion.

"No! It's not even close to finished!" Baba shouted at him. "Chuck's just having a hard time getting back to his feet is all! Isn't that right, Chuck?"

Videl cocked an eyebrow. "Umm…I'm pretty sure 'Chuck' is done fighting. He's just been lying there since Goten knocked him down."

That was when a moan emanated from the zombie's mouth. "See!" the witch yelled. "He's not unconscious or fallen out of the ring, so the fight is still on!"

The Satan girl frowned. Wasn't the witch forgetting the 10 second rule? "Hey, I'm pretty sure there's a rule for how long fighters can lay on the ground lady!"

"No there isn't."

"Yes there—!"

"No there isn't."

"Hey, don't you—!"

"No there isn't."

"Quit interrupting me you—!"

"This is my ring, so my rules!" Baba declared. "And I say there isn't a rule on disqualifying due to a fighter lying on the floor. Ha!"

Videl grind her teeth. This lady was really starting to annoy her. What made her think she could change the rules on a whim?! She had grown up knowing all the rules of the World Martial Arts Tournament and she was confident that such a rule existed. That old windbag was just a sore loser.

Regardless of what she thought, though; Chuck managed to get back onto his feet, though it took him awhile to do so. Once he was standing, Goten launched into another attack, pummeling the zombie with punches and kicks all over his body. It was like watching a little kid beating up a punching bag rather than an opponent. Chuck was even jerking around as each blow made contact with his rotting flesh.

That was when Gohan frowned. "That's not right," he murmured.

Videl looked at the taller boy. "Huh? What's wrong?"

Staring intently at the zombie, he replied "That zombie…he's just taking every thing Goten's throwing at him."

"So? That just means Goten's going to win."

"Then why does it seem as if…umm…Chuck doesn't seem to mind the beating? It's as if Goten's attacks aren't affecting him."

The Satan girl's eyes widened. "What?" Looking at the decaying man, she soon saw what Gohan was talking about. It was as if Chuck was letting the little boy wail on him. But…there had to be some sort of explanation. "He's not very fast though. Couldn't he just not be quick enough to block Goten's attacks?"

"That has some merit, but I don't think it's the case. Just look at the two fighters. Chuck looks about as bad as he did when he arrived; Goten is starting to look hungry."

Videl blinked. "Hungry? Don't you mean tired?"

Gohan shook his head. "No, hungry. Saiyans eat a lot of food because we digest it quickly. The more active we are, the faster we burn up that food. It's been some time since we had breakfast and the time we normally have lunch is about to arrive. And once a saiyan gets hungry, there's not much else he'll think about."

That was when a loud growl was heard. If Videl had to describe it as anything, she'd say a dinosaur was crying. Looking at Goten, she immediately knew that the sound came from him. The little boy had backed off from his assault on Chuck and was clutching his stomach with a pitiful look on his face. "Soooo huuuuungry," he whined as he dropped to his knees."

Sensing that he wasn't being beaten on, Chuck began trudging over to the starving boy until he stood right in front of him. Opening his mouth, he sucked in a lot of air before breathing it out all over the boy. Videl swore that the zombie's breath had a greenish tint to it. Once the air hit Goten, his eyes went wide as tears began leaking out; his eyeballs rolling back into his skull. "Stinky…" he spoke before falling onto his back, knocked out with little skulls and bones crossing each other appearing where his eyes were.

"Haha! Chuck wins!" Baba crowed. "That's two down, one more to go!"

"Two down?!" Videl shouted. "We only lost once, not twice! Learn to count you old windbag!"

Baba rolled her eyes. "You have lost twice. The first time when you left the ring and the second time happened just now."

"I DIDN'T LOSE!!" the Satan girl screamed.

"The moment you left the ring, you forfeited, thus eliminating you from fighting. You do remember leaving the ring, yes?"

"I switched out! That wasn't a forfeit!"

According to the rules we are following, yes you are," Baba replied. "It's right in the fine print missy. I suggest you read it."

Before Videl could respond again, Gohan interrupted her. "Don't worry about Videl, we'll make it up."

"But she's cheating!" the girl shouted. "A blind man can see that she is!"

"We are fighting on her turf, so she does get to make the rules. We should have asked her to explain more thoroughly about the rules when we had the chance."

The dark haired girl glared at him. "You can't be allowing her to do this, Gohan. She's not playing fair!"

"Not all fights are fair, Videl. This is just one of those unfair ones."

Without a response to that, the Satan girl just kept glaring at him. Good thing too. Gohan was running out of ways to defuse the situation. But at least it was over. Now he just needed to finish this little tournament.

But first, he needed to figure out a way to get Goten out of the ring without breathing in Chuck's breath. He'd probably pass out if he took a whiff of that!

* * *

To Annonymous: You bring up a very good point. I hadn't even thought about adrenaline. I'm not be any means an expert on how it affects the body and all, but it does make me wonder how long those affects last. It might explain how the fight between Goku and Vegeta went from early night and ended around morning. But I have some doubts that those affects would last for half a day or so. That seems too long, I think. But anyways, thanks for reviewing!

To A-man: I should be the one thanking you. You provided me an opportunity to explain a portion of the story that I felt would've angered some readers. For that, I thank you. I've been a fan of the earlier battles of DBZ, particularly the battle with Raditz and the Saiyans. There was more to those fights other than powering up; you had actual fighting skills and tactics throughout the fights. Then all that power ups starting occuring and things got a bit predictable. As for Baba's reaction, allow me to come up with a passable equivalent. Baba's fighters are the Detriot Lions and the Son boys are the New England Patriots. She knows she's rooting for the team that doesn't stand a chance, but that doesn't mean she wants them to just lay down and give up. She wants them to win, regardless of the opponent or circumstance, as do the fans of the Lions wanting their team to win despite all the mismanagement of the team. Baba's fighters are at an extreme disadvantage but she still wants them to win. I hope that makes some sense.


	11. The Last Son to Fight

Big announcement ya'll. This fic has just passed the 100 review mark. Thank you all for making this possible. I appreciate all of your comments and critiques for this story thus far and hope to see more as this story continues. It has been a pleasure writing and posting it for all of you.

* * *

Gohan was in between a rock and a hard place. If the sun was in the right place, and he was pretty sure that it was, then that meant lunchtime was upon him. And when lunchtime came, that made him hungry.

Already he could feel the small pains of an empty stomach. Not good. Especially since he was staring down a zombie that had a knack for taking very hard hits without problem. Goten's fight had proven that much. That meant Gohan couldn't afford to try and beat his rotting opponent into submission. That would only give him the same result as his little brother: hungry, tired, and on the wrong side of some lethal breath.

And if he did figure out a way to get past this guy, there was still another fighter to go against. It was one thing going into a fight a little hungry; it was another being completely starved. The Son boy needed to turn this situation to his advantage. He needed food soon and it didn't look as if there was an all-you-can-eat buffet just around the corner.

Wait a minute, didn't his dad say that Baba fed him once?

"Hey Baba," he called out to the little woman. "I'm starting to get a bit hungry."

Baba glared at him. "And I should care why?"

"Well, I think you fed my dad once. Would it be rude of me to ask if you'd extend the same courtesy?"

The witch muttered something unintelligible. "You're in the middle of a fight. No! I will not feed you!"

Gohan looked as if he had been kicked in the gut. "But…you know how bad it gets when saiyans are hungry!"

"And like I said, you're in the middle of a fight! I'm not going to stop it just so you can have a snack!"

The Son boy thought for a moment. "What if I win this match? Would you feed me then?"

Baba's eye twitched. What was she, a cafeteria lady? She wanted to see some action already! Chuck had already defeated one Son boy; she didn't see why he couldn't beat another. Hmm...the boy did say he had to win the match for some food. If her warrior beat the boy, she wouldn't have to feed anyone! Ha! She could even have food brought out so she could eat it right in front of the demi-saiyans! Let her gloat over their starving bodies. "Fine! If you win, I'll serve you lunch. Heck, you're friends can join in too!"

Gohan's eyes lit up. "Really? Alright!" Facing Chuck once more, the boy began assessing his new situation. Well, it was really the same one with a promise of free food, but that was good enough for him.

So far, it was doubtful another physical assault would do anything to Chuck, who looked as if he was ready to collapse at anytime. But that wasn't anything new since that was how the zombie had first appeared.

And that's where his thoughts halted. Who said he had to launch a physical attack? If he used the right technique, he'd beat this zombie faster than it took Vegeta to get into the Gravity Room.

Holding out one of his hands, the demi-saiyan gathered his ki into his palm. A few moments passed before a glowing ball of energy appeared, attracting the attention of everyone watching.

While Goten was torn between watching his brother's attack and easing his hungry stomach, Videl had her eyes glued on the Son boy. That was just like one of those light tricks at the Cell Games! The Satan girl nearly hit herself upside the head after that thought. Of course Gohan would know something like that; he had admitted as much the night before. Goten had even used a similar trick earlier, even though she hadn't been paying attention. She had been too busy seething at Baba's earlier insult to care how that fight had gone. However, she now had all of her attention squarely on the current fighting Son boy and she wholeheartedly admitted there was a difference between hearing something was real and actually seeing it in action.

Boy, if her father could see her now.

The dark haired girl nearly missed Baba's reaction to this development as well if it wasn't for the old crone floating on the opposite side of the ring. A look of terror was on her face, as if she had made the biggest mistake of her life. A small grin covered the Satan girl's face upon seeing that.

Letting out a yell, Gohan then fired the ki in his hand, the medium sized beam flying straight at Chuck. Due to the zombie's lack of speed, the blast hit him right in the torso. A second passed as the dead man flinched from the blow before being picked right off the ground and flying out over the lake.

Stopping the flow of his ki, Gohan watched as his ki blast faded away, leaving Chuck far out over the water. A moment later, the zombie fell into it, disappearing beneath the waves.

Letting out a sigh, the demi-saiyan straightened his posture as he rubbed the forearm of one of his arms against his forehead. "Well, that should take care of him." Looking towards the witch, he saw her staring with bulging eyes out towards the lake. Apparently, she had been caught by surprised by the Son boy's tactic.

"Hey Baba! Can we have lunch now?"

* * *

Baba glared at the two Son boys as they gorged themselves on the food before them. It had taken a couple minutes, but once she registered what Gohan was asking of her, she had mumbled a naughty word and then ordered the group of three to follow her. Upon entering the building that was her home, she commanded her ghost servants to begin making food…a lot of food.

After that, the witch led them to a different room where a round table was sitting. It sat low to the ground, going no higher than a foot, forcing the group to sit on ground rather than use chairs. Fortunately, there were some comfortable pillows they could use.

In no time at all, the ghost servants appeared with carts of delicious looking and smelling food. They barely had placed a plate in front of everyone at the table when Gohan and Goten began consuming it.

Despite watching a similar spectacle earlier, Videl was still stunned to watch those two eat. No matter how many plates the ghosts had set down in front of them, each Son boy would have polished off their current plate and reach for another. Apparently, Gohan hadn't been kidding when he said saiyans needed to consume a lot of food in order to function.

It took awhile but eventually the Satan girl realized that if she didn't start eating herself, those two black holes would eat everything. With determination, she began shoveling as much food as she could to make sure she had something in her stomach.

Baba was the only one that didn't seem to be hungry. Even though she had her own plate, she sat with an elbow resting on the table, her hand holding her head as she refused to look at the boys. Watching one's own prized fighters being beaten apparently killed her appetite. It wasn't every day she saw her pets beaten with ease. She had even lent them some strength from her mystical powers so they would be even harder to defeat. After all, one did not beat a saiyan, much less a super saiyan with what could be considered strong fighters at human standards. Not that the extra power was working as it was evident by the last few fights. All it had given them was an odd ability to withstand some of the saiyan-strength punishment they had been receiving. It was enough to make an old woman tear her hair out!

However, that would have to be put on hold as her thoughts were interrupted by both Son boys letting our loud belches.

Startled, both ladies looked at the contented expressions on the demi-saiyans faces. The phrase "the cat that caught the canary" didn't come close to describing the satisfaction that shown on their faces.

"I'll have you two know, that was disgusting," Videl said after a moment.

"We have no regrets," Gohan replied, patting his stomach. Goten nodded his head in agreement as he patted his own belly.

"Now, if you're done causing world-wide famines, can we get back to the tournament?" Baba spoke, clearly irritated.

Gohan and Goten just stared at the old lady for a moment before looking at each other and shrugging their shoulders. "I suppose we should finish it," the older Son agreed.

The old crone stared at the boy, almost as if she were making sure he was being serious. After all, when a saiyan was around food, it was a hard feat to take them away from it.

A few moments passed before Baba began floating high into the air on her crystal ball. "Very well; follow me." Turning, she headed towards the door and back to the fighting ring, the Son boys leisurely trailing behind her and Videl behind them.


	12. Last Fight

I'm dedicating this chapter to ArcticPuppet. She sounded as if she needed a pick-me-up and I felt like she needed a little love right about now. Hope this helps!

* * *

Gohan stood in the center of the ring, waiting for the final challenger. This fight would determine whether the group could solve Videl's dreaming problems or send them flying face first into the desert sand at Baba's front door. For some reason, the Son boy felt the old lady would've preferred the second option.

However, Baba had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since they had returned to the ring. If the demi-saiyan started at her closely, he would've seen a gleam in her eyes that would've suggested she anticipated the upcoming fighter. Being as he hadn't looked at her, the boy didn't catch it.

Then out of the blue, the witch shouted "Next fighter!" That was when Gohan allowed a serious expression to cover his face. It was time to finish this thing.

Unlike the previous times, this fighter appeared quickly. Stepping out of the fighters' pavilion, a gangly, grey creature emerged. From what the Son boy could see, it was completely nude; its grey skin shimmering in the sunlight as if the monster had just climbed out of the lake.

On its hands and feet, nearly transparent skin filled the gaps between fingers and toes similar to the webbing one would find on a duck's foot. Small, sharp claws extended from the fingers and toes as well.

Its head though, was the most bizarre part of the monster. It had what appeared to be fins on its checks and forehead as every few seconds the fins would extend out and then retract quickly to its previous position, making a slapping sound against the thing's head. Slits on its neck would open and close, indicating that they were gills. As of yet, it hadn't opened its mouth, so the teenaged saiyan couldn't tell if it could open it or even if there was a mouth. However, the blank, black eyes that stared at the boy were the most discerning of this thing. Gohan couldn't tell what this creature's emotions or intent were, making him edgy. Being unable to read his opponent always made him anxious. It wasn't long before this monster was standing in the ring with slouch in its stance.

"Allow me to introduce your last opponent," Baba spoke. "I had to search an entire black lagoon for this one, but he was more than worth the effort. I call him…Akira."

At the mentioning of his name, Akira straightened out his posture, revealing a toner body than he had previously displayed.

Videl, on the other hand, just sweatdropped. This old crone couldn't make up a decent name to save her life! Serious, Akira? Who would name someone that?

"Fighter's ready!" Baba called out, causing both Gohan and Akira to drop into fighting stances. "Begin!"

Immediately, the lagoon creature launched an offensive. Stiffening his fingers on both hands, the thumbs curled into the palms, Akira quickly jabbed one of his hand at Gohan's stomach. Acting quickly, the Son boy blocked the blow with ease. However, he didn't drop his guard as another jab was sent at his head. Another successful block stopped that blow as well. Soon, the monster was sending a flurry of quick jabs at the demi-saiyan, the boy blocking and parrying each strike without suffering a hit.

All the while, Videl stared with wide eyes. While she had been told that Gohan was a good fighter, she hadn't exactly expected him to be this good. His defensive moves were incredible, never allowing anything to get pass. And from what she could tell, this…Akire…Akiro…thing was speeding up his assault with each failed attack; yet the demi-saiyan was matching each increase easily.

What else could this boy do?

As if in answer, as Akira sent a jab at his face, Gohan leapt backwards, putting a short distance between the two fighters. The lagoon creature frowned in irritation as the Son boy dropped into his fighting stance again.

However, Akira didn't go charging in again. He had become aware that a head on assault wouldn't work on this opponent, so a change in tactics would be needed. Opening its mouth, he formed an o with his lips. Next, he began sucking air through his mouth, his chest expanding out as his head leaned backwards.

Thrusting his head forward, a blast of water shot out of his mouth, flying straight for the Son boy. Gohan stared at the incoming water blast before widening his eyes and twisting to a side at the last second. The stream of water flew right by his chest, eventually hitting the wall of the building behind the boy.

Once the attack died down, Gohan took immediate notice of the tear in his gi from where the water had brushed against it. There was even an abrasion on his skin right where the tear was. Taking a peek at the building behind him, the boy saw a hole right where the stream had hit.

Baba began laughing out loud. "Impressive isn't it? My lagoon man can fire water from his mouth at speeds that match the speed of sound!"

"Match?" Gohan murmured softly. The old lady was right, that was impressive. Water traveling at that speed would be able to cut through solid steel like a knife through butter. He needed to keep an eye on that attack or else he'd wind up just like that wall.

Turning his attention back to his opponent, he was nearly surprised to see the monster almost on top of him. With an arm pulled back, he swung his hand at the young warrior, his's hand curled to resemble talons. Gohan's quick reflexes were the only reason he dodged the swipe, his eyes watching as the claws barely missed his gi shirt. Countering, the Son boy swung his right leg at the creature, nailing him in the stomach and sending him flying through the air. The lagoon monster hit the ground soon after, holding his chest as it struggled to breath for a moment.

Then as if it had never happened, Akira got back onto his feet, staring the demi-saiyan down, analyzing his opponent and what other options it had to fight with.

Once again, the lagoon monster began sucking air into its lungs, his chest bulging as his head leaned back. Unlike the previous time though, Akira's cheeks began bulging out. A moment later, he began blowing out, this time creating a spray of bubbles. Big and small ones began floating across the fighting ring, drifting carelessly around.

Gohan blinked at this development. He had been so sure the water spray attack was being used, only to be surprised by this innocent looking display. As each second passed, bubbles surrounded the boy as he stood in his stance.

Then out of nowhere, two of the bubbles collided with each other, causing them to shine brilliantly. A moment later, an explosion rang out, followed by several more as bubbles combusted into flames. The next thing the Son boy knew, he had been completely enveloped by the sudden explosion.

A loud boom deafened everyone in the vicinity. A mighty wind rushed out in all directions, causing Videl, Goten, and Baba to brace themselves as best they could. In the little boy's case, he just raised his arms by his head, providing some defense against the rushing current. In the girls', they had to hang onto the ring itself in order not to be sent flying into the lake.

Once the blast calmed down, Videl looked to see a rising smoke cloud right where Gohan had once been. "Gohan!" she shouted, hoping to hear the boy respond. How anyone could survive that explosion, she couldn't fathom, but she hoped to Kami that the demi-saiyan had.

"Are you alright? Can you hear me? Gohan!" the Satan girl called out into the smoke cloud.

That was when Goten began laughing, which wasn't the reaction the girl had expected of him. They had just witnessed the little Son's brother get blown into bits and he was giggling at something. Looking at him, the dark haired girl noticed the boy looking up into the air with a big smile on his face. Curious, Videl looked up to see what was captivating the young demi-saiyan.

High in the air, hovering by the rising smoke was Gohan, who didn't appear to be hurt at all.

"B-but how?" Videl asked out loud. She could've sworn she saw her classmate being devoured by flames. So how was it that he didn't seem to have a singed hair, much less scaring burns? None of this was making sense the more she witnessed.

Meanwhile, Gohan stared down at the ring, contemplating his next action. That bubble attack had nearly taken him by surprised. He was lucky his reflexes were fast, otherwise he'd be smoldering right now. He needed to end this fight now if he didn't want to become barbequed saiyan. Who knew what other devilish tricks this creature had up its sleeves.

Using a burst of speed, Gohan began his descent towards his opponent, disappearing from sight before reappearing several feet closer to his target, then disappearing once more.

Akira saw this development as he saw the demi-saiyan closing in on him. Taking in a deep breath, it fired its water spray attack again; only to see it fly harmlessly through the air as the Son boy disappeared before it made contact. Once the spray had passed, he reappeared again, even closer to the monster.

And then the boy disappeared completely, leaving the lagoon creature at a loss. He didn't have time to wonder where his foe went as an explosion of pain ripped into his stomach. Akira's eyes widened as he bent over from the unexpected to feeling, seeing Gohan crouched before him, his right elbow imbedded in his gut.

With his balled left hand, the Son boy swung the fist at the monster, his punch connecting with his cheek. Immediately, Akira went flying off the ring and out towards the lake. A large jet of water shot up into the air, indicating where the monster had landed.

Goten threw a fist into air as he started to cheer. Videl only looked at the aftermath of the water as it fell back into the lake. Baba…was shocked beyond words before some curses were muttered. Something about the Son family and them running her out of business.

Standing straight, Gohan turned to look at the witch. "That was the last one, right?" he called to her.

Baba growled. "Yes…yes that was the last one. Follow me." Turning, the old woman began floating towards the front building, the three travelers trailing behind her. Once entering, the witch soon led them into another small room with a small, round table and pillows surrounding it. Actually, now that the Satan girl thought about it, it was the room that they had been in for lunch. Taking the same place on one side of the table, the old lady gestured for the three to take a seat. "Now, what is it I can do for you?"

* * *

To A-man: Well, the next arc happens...next chapter lol. Well, almost, depending on your point of view. The tournament is over so Baba has to make up with the goods and that's a good enough of a arc change for me, at least for this fic lol.

To Sigfried Wild: As you just found out, it's not the Devil dude or a cash strapped Z fighter lol.

I was a bit disappointed with the way this fight ends. I had a bunch of ideas but they all died after a much extended break from writing it. Can't be helped I suppose.


	13. Totosai Curse

Baba had listened to Videl's story, not making a sound. Everything from when she had been having the dreams, to how they were affecting her, to even what they consisted of were spoken of; yet the old woman didn't interrupt her, not even to clarify some of the details.

Once she had finished, the dark haired girl waited for the woman to reply. What she could've been thinking, Videl didn't know, but she hoped this fortune teller could help her. She didn't know how much more she could take of seeing these traumatizing dreams.

It was several minutes before Baba spoke. "How often have you been having these dreams lately?"

"Recently, it's been every night for the past few days," Videl answered.

"And you had the first one when?"

"About three weeks ago."

Baba fell into thought once more. It wasn't as long as the previous one as she began speaking a few moments later. "It sounds as if you have a Totosai Curse upon you."

The eyes of the three travelers widened. "A curse?" Videl spoke softly. "Why would I have a curse on me?"

Baba shrugged as a small smile graced her lips. Apparently, she didn't know either.

"What is a Totosai Curse?" Gohan asked. The more information they could get, the better they could try and get rid of this thing.

"It's a curse created by the Totosai tribe," the fortune tell responded. "They're not a very vengeful tribe, so it is very doubtful that one of their people is after the girl. In fact, they're a very helpful lot."

"Then why does some tribe put curses on people?" Videl asked, clearly not believing the description.

"A curse isn't the proper word that should be used for them. A spell is more like it. But the first civilized people didn't see it that way, so they called it a curse. Tends to happen more times than not."

"What kind of spell is on Videl then?" the Son boy inquired.

This time, Baba faced the girl in question. "Tell me, is there something you wished you knew the truth of?"

Videl was taken back. "What does that have to do with the spell?"

"Everything. Was there something you sought the truth on?"

The Satan girl began to think. There weren't any crooks in particular that she had been interrogating. She didn't bother with most gossip and rumors that lived and breathed in the halls of her high school. In fact, there wasn't anything she didn't know about that she actively sought out to know all about.

Well, except for Gohan.

Eyeing the boy, Videl thought more. Ever since he had appeared at Orange Star High, she had been intent on learning his secrets and exposing all the oddities that seemed to surround him. Why did he travel nearly five hundred miles one way, a thousand miles round trip just for school? How had he been capable of some physical feats that even she hadn't been able to do? Why did he always seem to disappear and reappear when she went off to stop a crime? And most of all, was he dressing and acting like an idiot to stop crime? All this, she had been trying to figure out.

"Well, ever since I met Gohan, I've been trying to figure out some of his secrets. But I found out everything when I confronted him yesterday," Videl said.

Baba nodded. "What you have is the Totosai Depiction Curse. Whenever someone of the Totosai Tribe wished to know the truth of something, they would cast this spell to learn it. Usually it was over small matters; rarely did they ever do something big, like learning the mysteries of life and so forth. The bigger the truth they sought, the longer the spell lasted. And from what I understand, you've had the spell placed on you before your friends confession."

Videl sat in thought as she soaked in what she was being told. Eventually, she asked "So how do I get rid of it?"

Baba leaned back, almost as if she was sighing. "There are a couple of ways. The first one is to let the spell play out. From what you're telling me, that should be soon."

The Satan girl frowned. "I don't want some time in the future to remove this thing, I want it gone now. What other options do I have?"

"You could let it drive you insane. That'll solve your problem."

The Satan girl clenched her fist as she felt a wave of anger flood her body. "Is there any other way to get rid of this?" she asked through clenched teeth.

The old woman nodded. "There is one person I know. She has mystical powers that allow her access to the forces that are currently working around you. She lives in the middle of a desert oasis but she does not offer her services for free. If you wish for her assistance, you must perform five feats of strength and skill in order for her help."

The dark haired girl just stared at the witch. "That's you," she deadpanned.

"I know."

Videl rose from her seat, a look akin to a raging bull covering her face. "Quit playing around!" she shouted. "I want to get rid of this spell, curse thing now! I beat your fighters so you have to do what I request!"

Baba, however, was not one to back down from a confrontation. "And what do you expect?!" she hollered back. "What you're asking is of high difficulty. If it was a matter of snapping my fingers and you'd be free, I'd do it so you can leave me alone! Now sit down before I have you removed from my house!"

Both women stared each other down, one with a murderous glare and the other with a…matching murderous glare. Finally, Videl plopped back down on the pillows, seething.

Deciding that the situation needed to be intervened, Gohan spoke up. "Baba, would you know how this spell was placed on Videl? Maybe we can figure out some sort of counter-spell to it."

The fortuneteller merely shook her head. "Most Totosai tribal members don't go around placing spells and curses on people unless asked; and even then, they won't place one on someone other than the person asking. So unless your friend there met one and asked for a spell to be placed on her—"

"Which I didn't," Videl muttered.

Baba glared at her before continuing. "And asked for a spell to be placed on her, then there's no way for one of their spells to be attached to her."

"So one of theses tribesmen wouldn't have cursed Videl?"

"Correct. Though one did give me a present with one of their spells on it. Lovely trinket it was. I had to sell it in a yard sale unfortunately."

Gohan's head perked up. "Could this trinket you sold be able to transfer the spell to a person?"

Baba thought on this. "Yes, I suppose it could happen."

Videl frowned. "How could a spell be transferred? Doesn't a spell need someone to cast it on a person?"

The fortuneteller shook her head. "A spell can transfer if there's a strong enough desire. It takes a strong will in order for a spell to form. Emotions, particularly desire, are driven by will and thus attract each other like magnets. It's likely once the charmed item you have in your possession felt your desire, it cast its power onto you."

The demi-saiyan turned to the Satan girl. "Videl, I need you to think of anything you've bought or received in the last month or so. Perhaps you picked up this trinket."

The old witch rolled her eyes and spoke up before any progress could be made. "There's no need for that, I know exactly what it looks like. It's in the form of a dream-catcher."

Videl froze. A dream-catcher? Like the one Erasa had given her? "Do you remember who bought the dream-catcher? Was it a girl with blonde hair and about my age?"

Baba stared at the dark-haired girl. "Now that you mention it, yes it was. But how did…" and then it hit her. "She was a friend of yours and gave you the dream-catcher. Well, when ever you're done with it, would you mind giving it back to me? I miss it terribly."

At that moment though, Videl's thoughts were very far away, not even close to the fortuneteller's words of request. Instead, they were focused on how to get away with murdering a certain blonde girl. Would strangling her or breaking her neck be the most satisfying method to use? Would using acid to dispose of her body be too much?

Seeing that his friend was not in the same universe as they were, Gohan decided to keep the conversation going. "So when do we know that the spell is finished? You said this was some sort of truth spell and Videl found out the truth she wanted."

"Then they should be over," Baba answered. "If they keep appearing though, then that means she hasn't gotten the answers she's looking for. For your friend's sake, I hope she manages to figure them out. The longer this goes, the worse it'll get."

"And there isn't any other way to get rid of it in case it's still here?"

"It's not the sort of spell you will away and it's gone. It was designed to make the person under it to see the truth, regardless of how painful it can get. As you know, the truth hurts and this is no exception. The only thing I can think of that could get rid of it is the dragonballs. Otherwise, it's going to run its course and leave."

"Thanks Baba," the Son said as he stood up, Goten following his example. Looking to Videl, he saw the girl was still off in her own little world and needed some help coming back. "Hey Videl, it's time to leave."

The Satan girl jumped a bit before looking up at the boy. "Huh? We're leaving?"

"Yeah, we have everything we need to know. Time to go."

"What about my dreams? And the spell?"

"They should be gone now, since all you wanted to know was my secrets. You know those, so that should stop the spell from bothering you," the boy replied.

Taking this in, the girl nodded and stood up, following the Son brothers out of the house. None of them saw the gleam in Baba's eyes as she watched them leave.

* * *

She watched with apprehension as a spiky, blond haired man in blue spandex and white armor fell to his knees. His right arm crossed over his body and held his left, that limb hanging limply and at a very awkward angle. The look on his face told her the man was in an incredible amount of pain.

His scream confirmed it.

Behind the blond man, a woman with an eerie resemblance to Eighteen stood behind him, her face an emotionless mask as she looked on the man. Unlike the woman she met on Kame Island, this woman wore black leggings beneath a blue jean skirt and black shirt with pin striped long sleeves. Though she seemed at ease with everything around her, those clothes of hers indicated that they had seen better days.

"Father!" a shout cried out, causing Videl to look up and to her right. Flying in with golden flames enveloping him was the boy from her last dream, the one called Trunks. Worry and anger dances across his face as he came charging in, his deadly blade drawn back.

For a moment, Videl felt as if she would be seeing a reoccurrence of the last time he used that sword; a sense of dread welling up in her stomach as she watched helplessly. She couldn't take much more of this senseless slaughter.

And as the man from the future swung his sword, the last thing she had ever expected to occur happened. The Eighteen look-alike raised her right forearm in front of her, just in time for the blade to strike. However, instead of slicing right through the limb, the blade bounced off of it before cracking. A second later, shards broke off the blade as a shocked look appeared on the man's face.

And that sense of dread that had built itself within the Satan girl's stomach turned into terror.

Then, out of nowhere, a boy that Videl swore was a clone or twin of the blonde woman came flying in. From what she could see, he had black hair and wore blue jeans with a black shirt and orange bandana. With his hands clasped together to his right, he then swung them like a sledgehammer, nailing Trunks in the face and sending him crashing into the ground. The broken sword clattered on the ground uselessly.

Two gold fighters were down and from what she could see, neither of these cold looking people looked as if they had taken a breath much less broken a sweat. Her focus was so fixated, her thoughts running wild as they brought up scenarios of them attacking he; after all, people had been known to die in dreams and that prospective terrified the girl. As she stared at the couple, she nearly missed two more fighters flying in, the green man known as Piccolo and a bald man wearing a green gi. Had it not been for the pair turning their heads to look at them, the Satan girl would've missed the warriors altogether.

Somewhere inside her, Videl wanted to scream at them to run away, yet her voice failed to leave her lips.

Piccolo was the first to attack, drawing a fist back. The dark haired boy, in response, leapt into and swung his leg, landing a kick that sent the green man flying past the boy harmlessly.

The bald man was next, he too drawing a fist back and swinging it. This time, the boy dodged to a side as the punch flew by. His arms then blurred and the next thing she knew, the boy had an arm wrapped around the bald man's neck, the hand of his other arm securing the limb. With the tightening of his arm, the bald man began to struggle as his airflow was cut off. It wasn't long until veins began bulging from his head as he gasped for air.

"Android!" the first blond man roared, completely in raged. A shiver ran down Videl's spine as the voice echoed in her ears. The blond man had then leapt into the air, his sights set on attacking the dark haired boy. Or was he an android? Could an artificial human really be strong enough to take on several fighters at once without looking the least bit tired? But that technology didn't exist! Sure, there were robots that had been produced in recent years but to actually make fake people? It was…too much…

As the girl's thoughts ran wildly in her head, the enraged man didn't get too close to his target as the blonde woman grabbed onto his foot, stopping his accent. This quickly drew the man's attention as he looked down at her, his anger pouring out from his body in waves.

"You should have kept your little friends out of this, Vegeta," Eighteen scolded. It was almost as if she were talking to a child rather than a warrior.

That was when Videl's attention was brought back to Trunks as he stood up. With determination, he charged the blonde woman.

It didn't take a genius to know what was going to happen next. Even as the blond man cried out "No, don't!" Videl's mind knew that this woman was about to use her opponent as a club. She hadn't been training in martial arts for nothing after all. And like she predicted, Eighteen swung this man called Vegeta and slammed him into Trunks, the two of them crashing into the ground. Barely a moment passed as the golden glow surrounding the man from the future died out, leaving a youth with lavender hair in its wake.

Before she could absorb this information, a war cry rang out, startling the girl. Piccolo had seemed to have gotten back on his feet and had charged towards the android floating in the air. The dark haired boy immediately saw this and released his hold on the bald man, who fell to the ground like a sack of beans. Good Kami, how long had he been suffocated, Videl wondered with morbid fascination. She had completely forgotten about the man, making her feel terrible.

She didn't have long to puzzle on that as Piccolo attacked his opponent. Once again, the boy dodged to a side, leaving the green man to fly past him. Swinging himself around, Piccolo launched another attack at the boy. However, this time the android attacked first, his fist shooting out into the warrior's chest and stopping him cold. A few seconds passed before Videl saw the green man fall to the ground; terror starting to fester inside her once more. She didn't know who made these things, but she prayed to any and all deities that they didn't begin to notice her, if they hadn't already.

These androids, however, put their focus back on the one called Vegeta as he suddenly leapt off the ground, firing a ball of light at Eighteen. At that range, even Videl had to admit she would've been hit. Yet the blonde…android had reacted faster than the Satan girl had ever seen anyone do. In the blink of an eye, she had leapt over the light, not even hesitating as it exploded behind her, and smashed her elbow into the blond man's face.

He fell to the ground soon after but refused to stay down, pushing himself up. That proved to be a very unwise decision as Eighteen closed in on him and slammed her knee into his face, lifting him off the ground once more as he cried out in pain. When he landed again, the android leapt into the air and rammed her foot into his back, eliciting another cry of pain from the fighter.

Even then, this Vegeta guy tried to get back up. Videl had no idea how he could be taking this much punishment. In her head, she begged for him to stay down, to stop fighting. Just so he could stop his screams.

Casually, Eighteen walked up to the man and sent a kick into his gut, causing him to fall onto his side and roll onto his back as he cried out again. "What's it going to take to get through to you, Vegeta? You've been beaten."

Walking to his side, she then raised a leg and set her foot on top of Vegeta's useful arm. The crunching sound of bone snapping echoed throughout the canyon.

* * *

She woke up, the screams of Vegeta still ringing in her ears. For once, she hadn't woken up screaming. Instead, her pants were the only sound she could hear.

It was starting to scare her how use she was getting to these dreams.

Sitting up, she rubbed her forehead with her arm, feeling sweat being removed. She was on the couch in the Son's living room, a blanket lying half on her and half on the floor. Gohan had insisted she spend another night here, just to make sure the dreams were over. It had sounded reasonable, so she agreed, along with receiving a promise from Chichi to put up the video camera.

It wasn't over. She didn't understand. Hadn't Baba said that they would be gone? That she would be left alone now that she knew the truth that she had been seeking? Had the old woman lied?

Oh, that lady was going to pay if she had.

For some reason though, the Satan girl felt as if Baba had told the truth. But if that was the case, then that meant that there was still a truth she was unaware of; a truth she still sought. It was a worrisome thought to be sure, but that didn't frighten her.

What did frighten her was if she would go crazy before she discovered what it was she sought.

* * *

To A-man: Not much of a quick fix I believe. Though the dragonradar does make searching for the dragonballs easier, it's not something you can do in a day or two's time. With the DBZ powers and all, I'd imagine it'd take up towards a week, maybe less. No way to know really since Toriyama didn't do a very good job at time management for his story.


	14. One Screwed Up World

Gohan found Videl sitting on the couch, staring blankly at a wall. Everything about the girl was disheveled; her shirt was rumpled, her hair stuck out in every which direction, even the blanket looked as if it had seen better days at it laid about her. All of this told the boy that something was wrong.

Instead of walking up to her to find out, the Son boy instead went into the kitchen and poured a couple glasses of juice. With a glass in each hand, he returned to the living room and sat down next to the girl, holding one of the glasses to her. "Juice?"

Videl seemed to jump at the question as she jerked her head to look at him. Lowering her eyes, she then found the glass being held to her and she accepted it with a soft "Thank you."

Both teens sat in silence, occasionally taking small sips from their drinks. Eventually, Gohan broke the silence. "I take it you had another dream."

Videl nodded her head. "I saw the closest thing to a free-for-all." Taking another sip, she then said "There were a bunch of your friends fighting these two people; I don't know if they were twins or clones but they looked like each other. Someone had called them androids at one point."

The Son boy nodded his head. "Battle with the androids. I wasn't around for that one, but I know what you're talking about."

The Satan girl looked at her friend. "How could those two be androids? I know there are robots running around but ones that look like people and are stronger than most of the fighters on the planet? How is that possible?"

Gohan stayed quiet for a moment before answering. "A man with a grudge who was obsessed with power."

"Pardon?"

"Those androids were made by a man that wanted revenge. Went to extreme lengths to do so. It ended up costing him his life and allowing monsters to roam the world."

Videl shuddered. She knew that type of people too well. She had lost count of the number of people that declared they wanted revenge on her for sending them to prison. Of course, none of them had an IQ over 80, so she didn't have to worry about them sending robots after her. "I'd hate to think what they could've done if they actually went around killing people."

Gohan stared intently at his glass. "They did."

The Satan girl jerked her head to look at the boy, seeing his serious face. "But…we're here. And nobody even heard of androids attacking people."

"You remember Trunks? The guy from the future?"

"Yes."

"Well, the future he was from was one where those androids had gone out and killed people. From what I'm told, it was like living in a never-ending nightmare. We were lucky the androids in our time had a more tempered mind-set. Otherwise…"

The dark haired girl gulped. "We'd be living in a nightmare too."

Gohan drained the rest of the juice in his glass, letting out a small sigh afterwards. "Does…does talking about your dreams help? At all?"

Videl looked away, once again staring at her glass. "Some. I…I feel better…I think, when I know what it is I'm seeing. Can you imagine what it's like to stumble into something that you have no idea what you're seeing? That you can't believe that such terrible things happen?"

"All the time."

"You know, Gohan, this is one screwed up world you live in."

"Tell me about it."

A small chuckle escaped her lips. "Despite these dreams, and you living through all of them, you seem like a normal guy. I would've never guessed you've been through all of that."

A small smile graced the boy's lips. "If you want, you can stay here until these dreams go away."

Videl cocked an eyebrow. "You're assuming we're going to find out what truth I'm seeking. How can you be so sure?"

Gohan shrugged. "I promised to help you get through this and I intend to fulfill that promise."

This time, it was Videl's turn to have a small smile on her face. "Thank you. It's…nice of you." Leaning towards the boy, she pressed her lips against his check. When she moved back, she couldn't help the sense of satisfaction well up in her as she saw a blush crawl onto the boy's face. "Besides, I'm not gonna refuse a chance at having more of your mom's cooking."

Gohan laughed, despite the crimson still on him. Looking to her glass, he commented "So are you feeling half-empty or half-full?"

Videl frowned at the question. That had come out of nowhere. Following his eyes, she found him staring at her glass with about half of her juice left. With a smirk she then chugged the rest of it and handed the now empty glass to him. "Neither."

* * *

The Satan couldn't say she didn't expect something like this. After her talk with Gohan, and then a nice breakfast made by Chichi, the dark haired girl had pulled out her jet copter and looked about for her extra set of clothes. She always kept an extra set in the off chance her current outfit was in some form or fashion ruined. When finding the duffle bag, she had found her cell phone, a bit surprised to discover that she had actually left it in there.

When checking the phone, she found that she had over a hundred messages from her dad, Erasa, and some telemarketer who wanted to inform her on the uses of Viagra. Ignoring that last message, she learned that both Hercule and Erasa were demanding to know where she was, if she was in trouble, or if she was with a boy.

Well, she couldn't put them off any longer. Actually, she could but it would only make things worse for her. The more her dad thought she was with a boy, the more likely she was to be locked into a very tall tower with her only means of escape would be to grow her hair out until it reached the ground; something she wasn't going to put up with. And the longer she went without telling Erasa what she was up to, the more she would be interrogated until every last detail was out of her victim's mouth. When people said that the Satan girl was a great interrogator, they were usually right. However, when it came to Erasa, she could make a mute talk about his deepest, darkest secret.

Going to her address book, she then hit the call button and waited for someone to answer the call. The phone didn't even finish the first ring when someone picked up. "Videl! I've been calling you for ages! Where are you?! Are you hurt?! Are you with a boy?!?! He better not be trying to get into your pants!!"

Videl held her phone a good foot away from her ear as she rolled her eyes. She knew her father would launch into some sort of rant to moment he picked up. Now wasn't the time for that "no boys" talk though. She was already high strung as it was.

"Daddy," she interrupted, causing the man to stop mid-rant. "I'm sorry I worried you, and I'm alright. I just needed to get out of the city for the weekend is all."

"Get out of the city? What are you talking about?!"

Okay, she definitely could've phrased that better. "I just felt like I needed a change of scenery, that's all Daddy."

"This wouldn't be because of boy, would it?"

Videl was about to answer in the negative when she realized that she had come to the Son house for a boy. Though it wasn't in the way her dad thought it was, it would be better not to mention that. "No, it wasn't. I had heard there was some kind of retreat that people could relax at. Like a spa. I just came to clear my head."

That seemed to satisfy Hercule. "Is that all? Why didn't you tell me in the first place? Or even before you left?"

"It slipped my mind," the Satan girl replied.

"Well, make sure you leave a note next time. Or better yet, tell me before you go. That retreat of yours sounds like something I need to go to."

Oh boy, her father out here with the Sons would be a disaster. The dark haired girl could already see the clouds of smoke pouring out of Chichi's ears. The Son woman had made it quite clear she wasn't the biggest fan of Hercule Satan.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be sure to let you know next time."

"Good; when are you coming back?"

Good question. Videl had no idea how long she would be staying at the Son house, since Gohan had made it clear she was welcome to stay until her dreams were gone. "I'm not sure. Maybe a few more days?"

"Oh no, little missy. You are not going to miss school because you want to relax. You're lucky you had a three day weekend, but you are coming back for school, you hear me?" Hercule replied. The Satan girl had completely forgotten about school, ever since she showed up at the Son house. There was some holiday going on today that school was cancelled, fortunately.

She needed to buy some more time.

"Dad, the reason I came out here was to get away from the city, including my job with the police. A day or two more would be one less day I have to fight crime."

Contrary to media reports and the public's belief, Hercule Satan had never been thrilled that his daughter had joined the police force. Though he was proud of her accomplishments, he didn't like the thought of her willingly putting herself in danger. The thought of his daughter not getting hurt was a very enticing idea. "I guess you can stay a couple more days, but that's it. You will come home immediately when I say. Understood?"

Videl gave a small smile. "I understand."

"Now you take care." And that was all either of them said as Hercule hung up. That was one person down, one more to go. Scrolling through her address book once more, she searched for Erasa's number.

That was when her phone started ringing, indicating that the very person she wished to call was calling her. How convenient. Accepting the call, the girl answered "Hey Erasa."

"Videl! You finally picked up! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" the blonde reproved, the tone of her voice very relieved. Apparently the girl had been scared out of her wit from not hearing from her friend.

"Sorry about that, I was a bit busy," the dark haired girl replied.

"Too busy to answer your phone?" Erasa shot back.

"Umm, yeah."

"Dear Kami, Videl. After everything you said about your dreams, I thought you had done something bad! Don't scare me like that again! I mean it!"

Videl let out a sigh. "I promise I won't do that again, alright Erasa? I was seeking help about the dreams and I was a bit distracted."

"Really? What did you find out about it?"

Now came the hard part. How much did Videl tell her best friend? It went without saying that she couldn't tell her anything about Gohan's involvement with them, not to mention his history. Should she go with the same story she told her dad? Probably not; since then she was have to take Erasa to one. Whereas her dad would forget about a place she could make up, the blonde wouldn't, and she would harp on it until Videl caved in. And it wasn't like she could flat out lie to her either; the girl was one of her only friends.

She had to make a choice, nevertheless.

"Well, I went to see someone and they said that I needed to get some R&R. Something about me being stressed and running myself ragged. So right now I'm out of town for some off time."

"Awww, and you didn't think to take me? I could help you relax!"

"Erasa, your idea of relaxing is to go shopping and you know how I am about that."

"Tsk, I know. You'd be a lot more fun if you did though."

Videl rolled her eyes. "I somehow doubt running around from store to store is a great stress reliever."

"There's nothing better than trying out new clothes and you know it, Vi."

"Clothes that someone else has worn?"

"What?!" the blonde nearly shrieked. "You mean they don't place out new ones every day?"

The girl shrugged. "They might clean them, I don't know."

"Umm, gotta go, Vi. I need to make sure I haven't picked something up, okay?"

"Yeah, sure Erasa. You take care of yourself."

"Bye."

And with a click, the call was over. Well, that was two big obstacles down and shouldn't be a bother. Looking up into the sky, the girl couldn't help but wonder what was next.

* * *

To Sigfried Wild: Talking pants. Now there is a interesting idea.

To lugo: Sorry I didn't update like you requested. Had to build up some suspense for you reader folk lol

To A-man: I think a week would suffice for a dragonball hunt. With Gohan, possibly Goten, on the hunt, they're gonna be adament about eating three times a day, since that is what they've been use to for the past seven years. Then they have to find some place to sleep at night. On top of that, if either Son boy saw some sort of crime occuring, they're not gonna sit by and watch it happen; they'll do something about that, and as Satan City has shown, crime doesn't stop even after a genocidal android threatened to blow the planet up. Though it is likely it'll take less than seven days, since they're faster than the original Dragonball series hunt. Either way, it's gonna take more than a day or two to find them all. And I have heard of DBZ Multi-verse. It's pretty interesting but I haven't read much of it since I was introduced to it.

To Lord Destroyer: Thanks for proving my point. And you are correct, Totosai does come from Inuyasha. I have a tendancy to take the characters or names of other animes instead of trying to make up something that sounds Japanese or so. Cheap and most likely illegal but it beats trying to make up OCs that have to have some sort of characterization created. Instead, find an existing anime character and most of the work is done for ya lol.

To Brenthforever: Totosai is a character from Inuyasha. A swordsmith I believe. See Lord Destroyer's review and my response to it for more details.


	15. Trip Through Nature

Birds were chirping happy songs as the day wore on. Videl looked about her surroundings, taking in lushness of the forest about her.

It was a lovely day, one too lovely not to be outdoors and enjoying it. And for someone as adventurous as the Satan girl, she was determined to make this day enjoyable. Of course, one couldn't wander nature alone. It had taken some wheeling and dealing on her part, but she had managed to talk Chichi into letting Gohan hang out with her. Vaguely, the girl recalled the Son boy saying his mom was very strict about how he spent his time, namely studying. Now though, the girl knew that he hadn't been exaggerating.

Chichi had been dead set on her son studying some weird form of math. The book had said it was advance trigonometry or something like that, not that the girl cared. She just knew that that was something she would be trying to learn a few years down the road and that Gohan could just as easily learn it another day. After a bunch of pleading and making promises that she wasn't sure if she'd be following through with, the Son matriarch had allowed her eldest to leave his room and join Videl on a trip on their property.

A property that ended up covering most of the 439 Mountain District.

"So you grew up with all of this?" the girl called out as she soaked in the sight of the plant life.

"Yeah," the Son boy agreed. "My dad had lived here too as a boy. In fact, the house we live in was where he grew up too."

"Really? That's cool." Looking in a random direction, the Satan girl headed that way until she reached a large plain with grass reaching as far as the eye could see. Every once and awhile, she could see different levels of ground, with rock poking out of the green sea. An occasional tree lent shade to whoever or whatever was in the area.

As she stared out at it, Gohan approached her from behind. "I bet you don't see this in the city."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Most developers wouldn't leave such an empty space like this…well, empty. It'd be a waste of space as they would call it."

The boy frowned. "They can't just accept nature for what it is?"

"I guess not. But that's the price of civilization; nature ends up getting trampled on."

"Too bad. Goten and his best friend like playing out here."

Walking forward, Videl raised her hands and folded them behind her head. "What do you like to do out here?"

"Well, when I was little, I use to explore this place. Even trained here sometimes."

That piqued the Satan girl's interest. "Training huh? What kind of training?"

"Just light stuff. Katas, shadow-boxing, and that kind of stuff."

The girl fell into thought. When she was just getting into fighting, she had an entire dojo to help her train. Sometimes she forgot that other people had different methods when it came to honing one's skills. And each method usually produced a different kind of fighter as well.

"Hey Gohan? Have you ever considered entering the World Martial Arts Tournament?"

That startled the boy. "Not really. It's not something that really interests me."

Videl swung around to stare at him disbelievingly. "You can't be serious. Why not?"

"I-I just don't want to?"

The Satan girl shook her head. "The tournament is suppose to crown the best under the heavens, Gohan. They can't do that when fighters don't participate. You're a strong guy; you should enter! I can't accept a new champion if I know one of the strongest guys isn't competing!"

The Son boy started scratching the back of his head. "I can see where you're coming from, Videl, but I really have no interest in entering."

"Do it as a favor to me. Please? I'm planning on entering the upcoming one and it would mean a lot to me if you did."

"Gee, I don't know…"

A vein popped out of the girl's forehead as a scowl covered her face. She tried being nice, but this boy was really pressing her patience. One way or another, he was going to enter. "Son Gohan, you will enter the World Martial Arts Tournament or I'm gonna make sure the only way you'll be eating food for the next few weeks will be through a straw."

Gohan began waving his hands in front of him, hoping to diffuse the situation. "I-I guess I can ask my mom about it. She's the one that has final say."

That was gonna have to do she concluded. As much as she didn't like to admit it, Chichi did have final say on what the Son boy could or could not do; taking the domineering mother role to levels that were nearly unthinkable unless you saw it. Allowing her anger to dissipate, she gathered her courage to ask him one more thing.

"Alright, we'll just have to wait to see what your mom says. Umm, can I ask you something?"

Gohan seemed to ease up, thinking the worst was over. "Yeah, sure."

"Could…could you teach me to fly? I'd appreciate it if you would."

The boy blinked. "Umm, sure. Should be a synch."

A smile grew on the girl's face. "Really? Thanks!"

Hours later and Videl still had that smile on her face. To learn to fly; how many people ever had that chance? It was like a once in a lifetime opportunity, or so the girl thought. No more reliance of hover cars and jets, feeling the wind through her hair, finding out what clouds were made of; the possibilities seemed endless.

Currently, the Satan girl was lying on the ground, looking up at the very clouds she imagined she would be flying through. Lying a few feet away was Gohan, gazing up at the clouds as well.

Looking over at him, Videl rolled onto her side to face him better. "Gohan, how did you get to be such a good guy?"

The boy blinked his surprise. "Uhh, what do you mean?"

"Most people I know would've demanded something in return if I had asked them to teach me to fly. Yet, you agreed without even thinking, even after I begged you to join the WMAT."

Gohan stared up at the sky. "The biggest influence in my life is my parents; my mom now and my dad when he was still alive. Since I've lived out here most of my life, I didn't have other people to influence me. When ever I go to Satan City, I'm overwhelmed with how different messages are targeting people."

Videl frowned. "Different messages?"

"That's the best way I can put it. You've got TVs and radios broadcasting shows that promote certain messages. 'Take care of others' and 'Make money fast' are mentioned within the same hour of each other; it's not surprising at all to see people be confused and have questionable views," he explained.

The dark haired girl mulled that over. His answer made sense, though she wouldn't go as far to say that every influence out there made people do the things they did. It did explain a lot but the Satan girl felt that there was something more to it.

"Maybe you're just a naturally nice guy," she suggested.

The Son boy blushed at the compliment. "That could be part of it too," he admitted.

Videl scooted closer to the boy. There, now she could see how red he was getting. The blush went from his neck all the way up to the roots of his hair. A small smirk started working its way onto her face. It seemed her friend wasn't use to being commended by a girl. Or at least that's what she assumed it was. Many a time she saw a teacher congratulate the boy and he'd be embarrassed, but rarely did a blush cover his entire face. That was the evidence that she was using for her theory and that's what she was gonna stick with.

A silence fell upon the two with the Son boy overcoming his redden face and the Satan studying him. It wasn't every day Videl took time to just observe someone of the opposite sex, not that she was busy staring at people of her own sex. It's just she never had much time nor the inclination to just look and admire. Well, with the crop of guys that ran around her school, there wasn't much to admire.

Now though, she had an abundance of it and after spending the last couple of days with this boy, she felt as if she could really let herself look at him and see him as a boy the way a girl would normally see them. And she had to say, he was an attractive one.

That was when she could've sworn she heard Chichi speaking right next to her. "Gohan! Dinner is ready!"

Looking about, the Satan girl found no sight of the Son woman, which confused her. A chuckle from Gohan made her turn to look at him. "My mom has a pretty loud voice," he simply said.

"How far are we away from the house?" the girl inquired.

"I'd say…a mile, maybe," the boy replied as he looked around.

"A mile?! But it sounded as if she was standing right next to us!"

"Like I said, loud voice," he chuckled again. Looking up at the sky, he frowned a little. "Time flew by, didn't it?"

Following his gaze, Videl found the sky had taken on a mixture of red, orange, and purple; the tell-tell signs that the afternoon had just become evening. They hadn't been out that long, had they?

The next thing she knew, Gohan had stood up and brushed off the blades of grass that clung to the back of his gi. "Guess we should head that way," he spoke before holding his hand out to help the Satan girl up.

With a small smile, she grabbed the offered hand and pulled herself up.

* * *

To A-man: First off, I have really enjoyed debating DBZ with you. It's been very enlightening. It also keeps me on my toes too so keep it up lol. Now for Kami and Mr. Popo. As you've said, Kami does have an advantage since he's connected to the dragonballs, so he would know where they are. However, Popo has a magic carpet that can teleport him to anyplace instantly. So he can go to the exact location of the ball and not have to search blindly for it like he would have to if he had the dragonradar. While that machine gets you close to the ball, it doesn't pinpoint it exactly; it just gives you a place within a small area and depending on that area, you could be looking for awhile. Also, Instant Transmission is esesntially traveling at the speed of light, and Saiyan or not, no one can fly that fast. There's air resistance creates drag, which slows a person down and no matter how aerodynamic they are, they cannot reach the speed of light. Light has no mass that can be affected by friction, thus it can move without hinderence. How the IT works exactly, I'm not too sure but it grants the ability to travel that fast. So if Gohan were flying and Popo was using his magic carpet in a race to the other side of the planet, I'm betting on Popo lol. And with Bulma and the others collecting the dragonballs, I'd imagine they actually had a few them already. At the beginning of DBZ, Goku said he went searching for the 4-star ball because it held sentamental value to him. I'd imagine the same sentalmentality was with Gohan too, so he would have already searched for the 4-star ball. According to my limited math abilities lol, he would've had 1 in 5040 chance that the first ball he found was the 4-star. It's likely he found two or three other balls before he found the 4-star ball, so that's half of the balls right there. Finding the other half in 15 hours shouldn't be too much trouble, especially with the group as determined as they were. It's also likely, though not probable, that Gohan found five of the dragonballs before he found the 4-star, so running to someone's house and then for that last ball would be a piece of cake. Toriyama never said how the collecting went other than that last ball so it's up for debate. They should have had at least one ball before they began though, I'm pretty confident of that much. As for Gotenks flying, he was a Super Saiyan when he did that, so he would've flown faster than Gohan in his normal state. Also, Gohan rarely, if ever, went Super Saiyan outside of a fight and he's not one to abuse his powers just so he could make up some time, short of someone dying, which this case isn't.

To lugo: Well, to be honest, I have this whole thing written out so I can update when ever I feel like it. That tends to be about 3, sometimes 4, days. Though I wouldn't fault the Secret Hearts author. She has a lot of stuff to do outside of writing, not to mention she has to translate the fic into English I believe. And in Videl's defense, if you had constant dreams of people getting slaughtered, you wouldn't be too nice either lol. Well, I know I wouldn't at least.


	16. Final Truth

A roaring wind rammed into her with the force of a hurricane. She couldn't help but hold her arms in front of her face and close her eyes as a wall of dust and dirt flew at her, passing by harmlessly though it caused the girl to get a lungful of the polluted air. All over her body, she could feel small grains of dirt pelting against her as they were carried by the man-made wind.

And though she couldn't see a foot in front of her face, her ears definitely heard the scream in front of her. Whoever it was making the awful sound, she didn't know, but she could pick up the intense rage and sorrow behind it. She would've hated to be the person that was about to be on the receiving end of its wrath.

Slowly, she forced her eyelids open to get a better idea of what was in front of her. The cloud of dust had finally passed her, giving her the visual she needed. Standing in the middle of broken rock and earth was a boy in a worn purple gi. Enraged teal eyes shown from his eyes as intensely spiky blond hair stood on his head. All around him, a ferocious golden aura roared about him; small bolts of electricity bouncing about his body ever second.

Yet his appearance wasn't what caught the Satan girl's attention. It was the tears that were pouring from his eyes as each and every one of them drifted from his face like a trail of sparkles before they evaporated in glow.

A sick feeling built itself within her stomach. If Videl didn't know any better, this highly emotional boy was staring right at her, as if he were targeting his rage solely on her.

No wait, he was looking past her.

Slowly, Videl turned to look behind her, jumping out of shock and fear. Backing away slowly so as not to attract attention, the Satan girl faced a tall, green, insect-like man. She would've recognized the monster known as Cell any day, even if she were blind, deaf, and dumb.

Everything she had ever heard of this fiend was enough to keep people up at night. A monster that terrorized the Earth just because he could and he took great pleasure in doing so. The number of people that had been killed by him was never ending. If it hadn't been for her father…

Wait, where was her father? Why was a boy that looked like he was just entering puberty facing this oversized cockroach? The Satan girl would've started looking about had she not caught the expression on Cell's face. If she had to describe it, she would've said it was a mix between shock and joy.

As the dust dissipated, the boy spoke "I'll never forgive you for what you've done." A chill ran up and down Videl's spine; never had she heard a voice filled with such hate.

The boy then began to walk towards Cell, fully determined to tear his head off, or so the dark haired girl suppose. Heck, even the android had some semblance of fear on his face. Yet, the boy didn't completely close the distance between him and his foe, stopping right in front of Videl. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his head, though she had a feeling that perhaps that was something she didn't ever want to find out.

That was when Cell seemed to overcome his astonishment as a look of excitement covered his face. "At last, you've come out of hiding. Now the game will really get exciting."

Game? Exciting? What was this monster talking about? Killing people wasn't a game!

In that moment, the boy reached his left hand out and then snapped it back to his body, a small brown bag suddenly appearing in his grasp. Videl's eyes widened. Where the heck did that come from?

Apparently, Cell had been holding it as his expression went from anticipation to that of being startled. "No games," the boy said, his rage once more seeping into his voice.

"How did you…" the android asked out loud as he stared into his empty hand. His voice took on a more demanding tone as he finally got his question in order. "The senzu beans, how did you get them?"

Which was a very good question, Videl had to admit. Though she couldn't help the satisfaction she felt from the android's display of astonishment, she had to wonder how this boy was doing the things he did. And what were sen…whatever beans? Something wasn't adding up in her head. The boy seemed to be the only one who knew what he was doing and it was making the girl very uneasy. Didn't he know who he was pissing off?

Growling, Cell then lunged at the boy, his head reaching out to take the bag back. Instantaneously, the boy vanished from sight, leaving the android grasping for air…which just so happened to be right next to Videl. Screaming, the Satan girl leapt backwards and took off running in the other direction, wanting nothing more to do with his maniacal killing machine. Fear coursed throughout her entire body as she tried to put as much distance between her and Cell.

That was when her legs suddenly locked into the place, stopping her escape. The next thing she knew, she was back within killing distance of Cell with her mind screaming for help and her body fighting to run away. Yet nothing was working the way it should as she stayed frozen in spot, forced to watch as the bug man turned to look away from her and towards the large cliff in front of them, searcing for the missing boy.

That didn't appear to be a very hard task as Cell seemed to know exactly where the boy was. Looking in the same direction as the monster, she soon saw the boy hovering in midair next to the cliff. Standing on a ridge that jutted out of the cliff wall was what appeared to be a miniature version of Cell, only smaller and creepier. This mini-Cell just seemed to gape at the boy as he stared him down.

That changed though as the mini-Cell regained his confidence and leapt at the boy. Leaning to a side, the boy dodged the charge and the swung his right had at his blue foe, his finger as straight as a knife's edge and his thumb curling into the palm. The blow made contact with the blue creature at the neck, slicing right through it, and causing the mini-Cell to explode in a cloud of smoke.

Videl was utterly speechless, not that she could think of saying a word at the moment. How…how was that possible? To kill a living thing with one blow? Even the best martial artists she knew weren't able to do that.

Yet, there was a nagging thought at the back of her head. For some reason, she felt as if she knew this boy, or at least had seen him from somewhere.

From beside her, she heard Cell making weird sounds, almost as if he were afraid. Apparently, this recent development had caught him completely off guard too.

It was then that Videl heard a voice, one that sounded just like that Vegeta guy. "After all the time we spent trying to kill these things, he does it one blow."

That was followed by another guy saying "Gohan, you're amazing."

And Videl's world came to a screeching halt. Gohan? This boy was Gohan?! Gohan, the guy that went to her school and had just recently told her about his whole life? Her mind just couldn't comprehend it. Sure, she now knew he had been through a lot, but he hadn't mentioned a thing about being at the Cell Games.

Those thoughts were put on hold, however, as Gohan turned to look behind him, disappearing once more. While Videl could've sworn she heard a couple more voices, they were lost in the insanity that was going on in front of her.

Or rather, behind her as a loud crash sounded off. Gohan had reappeared once more, standing in a crater that she had failed to notice previously with two mini-Cells this time, along with a very bald Krillen. The man she had met on Kame Island looked as if he had seen better days as he seemed on the edge of falling into unconsciousness.

"But how?" Cell demanded as he turned to look. For once, Videl didn't seem to care to ask questions. The vision or dream, or what ever it was, would go a lot better if she weren't analyzing every point.

One of the blue Cells reached down to grab the back of Krillen's shirt, pulling the monk towards him as he held one of his hands next to the man. A wicked chuckle came from the creature as he thought he had taken the advantage of the situation.

Gohan choose then to approach the mini-Cells, just as the hostage-taking one stiffened his fingers and extended his fingernails, the nails poking into Krillen's neck. This caused Gohan to stop his approach, though he wasn't through with facing his new opponents. Raising one of his arms, he aimed his hand right at them, causing the mini-Cells to gasp with fright.

At this moment, Krillen managed to speak in a strained voice. "Gohan, don't worry about me. Just do what you gotta do."

One of the mini-Cells lost his nerve and fled the crater, just as the monk shouted "Do it, Gohan!"

Once again, the mini-Cell lost its nerve and threw Krillen to the ground. Leaping into the air, it fired several beams of bright light at the boy. The next thing Videl knew, an explosion erupted from the hole. Yet, the Satan girl felt that this wasn't the end of the fight. Looking at the mini-Cell, she caught the creature turn to look above him. Hovering with Krillen in his arms, Gohan stared down at the blue creature, his face masking his emotions.

In a flash, the boy disappeared, reappearing right behind the mini-Cell without Krillen in his arms. With the thrust of his leg, his foot tore into the mini-Cell, causing him to explode in a smoke cloud just as his predecessor had done.

At that moment, Videl felt the hairs on the back of her neck stiffen, and she had a good idea as to why. Anger poured off of Cell in droves, causing the Satan girl to want to take a couple more steps away from him. Unfortunately, whatever force was holding her didn't even grant her that bit of comfort from such a move as she remained in place. Nervously, she kept watch on the green bug, fearful that he'd turn and blast her to bits.

Her uneasiness though caused her to miss some of the action, however. Apparently, the other five mini-Cells had banded together and charged at the Son boy, figuring that the more of them that attacked, the better their chances were at defeating him.

A large cloud of dust erupted around the boy, the sound of an explosion roaring in the air. The next thing Videl knew, mini-Cells were scattered about the ground, each looking as if it had been assaulted with a sledgehammer. From her count, there were only four of them, though the girl had been sure there were five that had attacked. Near Gohan's standing figure, a nearly vanished cloud of smoke drifted. Well, that at least explained what had happened to the fifth mini-Cell.

Slowly, the four remaining blue Cells, rose to their feet, looks of hate on their faces as they stared Gohan down. The Son boy didn't look the least bit threatened. Instead, he rose both of his arms into the air, and gave at a yell as bright light exploded from his body, covering everything from the mini-Cells, to Cell, to the Satan girl.

* * *

Videl woke with a start. Sitting on the Son's couch once more, the Satan girl panted as she tried to calm herself down.

Compared to some of her other dreams, this one hadn't been as intense. It did, however, had the affect of making her heart race as its rapid beating indicating. She felt as if she had been sprinting for Kami knows how long.

A sense of peace settled on the dark haired girl, a feeling she hadn't had in what seemed like forever. After spending days and weeks on trying to overcome these visions, she had finally had her answer.

She had finally found the truth.

* * *

To Sigfried Wild: My best one? That's saying something lol. I was rather proud how the Battle Stain trilogy came out, though I think the ending was disappointing to many.

To Anonymous: The 5040 is the number of different combinations the balls can be found in, ex. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7; 1-3-2-4-5-6-7; 1-4-2-3-5-6-7, etc. etc. So I'm right on that part, but as you and btstfn point out, you're also right. I hadn't thought of the 4-star ball being first in many of those combinations, so 1 in 7 would be accurate too. I guess this goes to show why I won't be an Accounting major lol.

To Lord Destroyer: I tried my best, especially with fluff not being my forte. Practice makes perfect I suppose. As for the whole Saiyan thing, well, there needs to be a plausible explanation for why something happens instead of "just because." Otherwise, fanfiction can become just plain ridiculous. Saiyans have been put on a pedestal due to their massive power build-up throughout DBZ. Personally, I think there are instances where they can be harmed, usually when they're in their normal form and unsuspecting. Gohan getting punched in the face by a thug in the anime proves that point, even though a bruise never formed on his face and the thug had a broken hand. Gohan still had to feel some pain, even if it was a pinch. He wasn't powered up nor expecting a blow. That's my evidence anyways lol. But thanks for agreeing with some of my points. And Chichi's voice, well, she does have a very loud one lol. Though a mile may be an exaggeration of how far it can go, it's probably not too far off lol.

To A-man: Well, urgent would be relative. When Gohan was flying with Kabito to fight Buu, Gohan didn't go Super Saiyan and you'd think with a monster that could destroy a planet would warrent that extra speed. Yet he didn't and I doubt it was because he wanted Kabito to keep up with him. Plus, Toriyama never said how fast a person could fly. In fact, most of the flying footage we see in the anime looks as if they're going at the same speed regardless of form. So to say a person could travel from one spot to another in X amount of time, well, we don't really have any proof; just speculation and speculation isn't always 100 percent correct. In regards to King Kai's comment, Piccolo said that Raditz could move faster than the speed of light and he's much weaker than Frieza and Super Saiyan Goku. So once again, how fast a person can move is relative. Plus, fear has a tendency to make people over-exaggerate. As for Videl's request for Gohan to enter the WMAT, I point to the BCS Championship Game between Alabama and Texas. A lot of fans of UT were complaining about how UT would've won had their number one quarterback not been injuried. It's the same concept here. Videl knows that Gohan's strong, so he'd obviously affect how the WMAT would play out if he entered. If he didn't enter, she'd know that the person crowned champion probably shouldn't have the title since a strong fighter didn't contend for it and thus be void in her mind. It'd be like Hercule refusing to participate because he didn't feel like it. Not a lot of people would accept the winner of the WMAT if that man didn't participate.


	17. Confronted

This chapter is dedicated to Anonymous Void. It's a big day for him and I offer this humble chapter full of my ego as a present for his accomplishment. You earned it d00d.

* * *

Videl had been waiting for Gohan to wake up. It had taken awhile, but her patience had paid off when the Son boy appeared. She hadn't slept a wink after her realization, not that the girl really cared. She had a confrontation she had to face and trying to fruitlessly get back to sleep would've been a waste of time.

As the boy walked into the room, she spoke "My dad didn't kill Cell, did he?"

A deer-in-the-headlights was a perfect description for the way Gohan froze. He stared at the Satan girl, unsure of how to answer her statement. If he said no, she would kill him for lying; if he said yes, he'd get an earful about how he kept that last bit of information from her.

So he asked her a question. "So was your dream about the Cell Games?"

Videl scowled. "I think the answer should be obvious."

"And what did you see?"

"I saw a young boy kill seven blue creatures that looked just like Cell. And I heard one of those friends of yours say your name, repeatedly."

The inevitable had been held off for as long as it would be. However, the Son boy didn't flat out admit to doing the deed. Instead, he looked away from her, a look of discomfort on his face.

And that look told the girl everything she wanted to know.

But instead of going on a tirade about how he omitted that very important piece of info, she remained calm. From what she had learned on the Son boy these last couple days, he always did something for a reason. Keeping his unique abilities secret was his attempt at keeping his family out of the spotlight; becoming Saiyaman so he could help the citizens of Satan City without being recognized. He must have had a good reason as to not tell her why he was the one who defeated Cell. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed. Without looking at her, he replied "That's not something you go around telling people. Besides, who would believe me?"

Videl didn't really know what he meant with that first part, but she certainly understood the second. She was the daughter of the man who claimed to have killed Cell. Even when this boy in front of her told her about his past, she would've doubted that he had been the one to stop that monster in his tracks. The credit for that had rested in her father's lap for seven years and it was hard to think differently.

She knew now that it was false credit and in a way, it made sense. All of her visions had something to do with superhuman feats, the like which her father had never been able to do and repeatedly brushed off as tricks and illusions. Then after seeing Goten and Gohan fight Baba's warriors, any reservations she had about their style of fighting were gone. So logically, if one were to fight a monster like Cell and win, they had to be able to do most of the stuff he did.

"Will you tell me everything that happened? All the things that happened at the Cell Games," she asked.

"If you want," was his wary response.

"I don't want it now, but I will soon. Right now I need to figure out where everything stands."

"Everything stands?"

It was Videl's turn to sigh. "How I look at my father now; where I stand in the fighting community; how I look at you with everything I've learned…"

"Everything," Gohan surmised.

A small smile flickered on her face. "Yeah."

The whole time, the Satan girl couldn't help but notice how guarded the Son boy seemed. It was as if he were waiting for her to explode. In the past, she'd admit that she wouldn't have handled such news as calmly as she was doing now. Right now though, she needed to stay composed or she didn't know what would happen.

"Can I ask you a question?" she finally asked.

"Um, sure."

"Why didn't you tell anyone? After the Cell Games, why didn't you show up and say my dad was lying and was taking your credit?"

Another sigh. That seemed to be all they were doing nowadays. "After everything Cell did to this planet, the people needed something they could grasp and ride out the storm. Your father took on the role and helped everyone get over the horrors that Cell did to them. And that's alright. I could never take on that role and do as good of a job as Hercule has done. Even if he didn't defeat Cell, he was there to clean up the mess. He gave people hope that they could move on from their ordeal and be happy."

Gohan paused as he looked out the window, admiring the rising sun. "There are some people that are born to be able to take on accolades and titles. I'm not one of those people. I'd probably fall flat on my face every time someone would praise me for saving them. Hercule was someone that could take that responsibility, much like my own father could."

Looking at the Satan girl, he finished "In many ways, I'm glad your father took the glory. I wouldn't know what to do with it."

"Selfless to the end, huh?" Videl commented, grinning.

Gohan returned the grin as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess you could call it that."

Videl shook her head in amusement. "Well, I'm assuming the dreams are gone. Not much point in me staying here any longer."

"I'm sure you're welcome to stay here, if you want."

The Satan girl cocked an eyebrow. "If by welcome you mean you're mom keeping a video camera on me at night, then I guess you're right."

A nervous chuckle left the boy's lips. "You're not gonna be forgetting about that for a long time, aren't you?"

"You bet your house I won't. I know fathers are always crazy about keeping their daughters safe, but your mom? She makes them look easy going."

A silence fell on the two as they looked at each other with amusement. That was until Chichi entered the room, heading for the kitchen. "I see you two are up," she commented as she passed by them. "You two better get ready for school."

It was almost as if a siren sprang from the Son boy's head as his eyes widened. Apparently, he had forgotten all about going to that institution.

This time, Videl decided to bail the boy out. "We don't have school today Mrs. Son," she called out.

That froze the Son matriarch in place. Turning around, she gave the Satan girl a suspicious look. "And why is that?" she inquired.

"School holiday," Videl answered nonchalantly.

"Holiday? I thought that was yesterday."

"I got a call last night from a friend. She said that school had been given another day off and that it was for some holiday the government is trying to introduce."

Chichi mulled the excuse over for a bit before giving in. "Alright, I suppose. Breakfast will be ready in a little while." And with that, the mother two disappeared into the kitchen.

Gohan gave Videl a sharp look before whispering "Why did you lie to my mom?!"

Videl shrugged. "I didn't feel like going to school and I thought you'd like another day off."

"But if she finds out, we're both dead!"

"She'll only find out if you tell her Gohan. You're not going to tell her, right?"

The Son boy went quiet before slowly nodding his head. "Good boy," the Satan girl said as she stood up and walked up to him, patting his cheek. Then the girl moved to head towards the bathroom.

That left Gohan to sigh once more, wondering what he had ever done to be put into such a position.

* * *

To A-man: GT wasn't actually made by Toriyama. So an argument can be made that GT isn't canon since the creator had no hand in it; and in some circles is regarded as such. It's pretty much an animated version of fanfiction and you can clearly see that considering that all the bad guys could only be defeated by Goku and everyone else was pretty much chopped liver. And you did say a number for Gohan's flight time: 20 minutes. You do have a point about the Kabito point.

To lugo: As long as it keeps ya reading, then the cliffie did its job.


	18. Blonde Torture

It had been going on for a solid week. Ever since Videl had complained of having nightmares, the same old scene had occurred. Erasa, her dutiful best friend, would try to get her to open up about her dreams and each time the Satan girl rebuffed her. Then after missing a day of class after a very nice three day weekend, Videl had quit talking to her and had been doing a very good job at giving her the silent treatment.

And that was slowly driving the blonde girl insane.

Every greeting, every attempt at conversation was met with an unnatural, to her, silence and sometimes that was followed by a glare. The only time the dark haired girl glared at people were if she were mad at them, though one could say she was mad at everyone with the amount of glaring she did on a daily basis. But what Erasa couldn't seem to comprehend was why the Satan girl was mad at her? What had she ever done?!

Although she could take some comfort that she was ignoring everyone else, though she did do some physical damage to Sharpner in the cafeteria the other day, it wasn't a good feeling. How would you feel if your bestest best friend just stopped talking to you?

Then, on top of that, the Satan girl seemed to be hanging around Gohan a lot more. Not that Erasa could blame her, but that was the only person the girl seemed to think was worth talking with. Hellooooooo, she was here. She loved to talk and everyone and everything knew it. So why wasn't she being talked with?

Suddenly, the shrill ring of the bell rang out, signaling the end of the current class period. As with every other day, this was the time for lunch as the students filed out of the room and headed for their favorite lunch spot. Waiting, Erasa locked her eyes on Videl as she headed to the door, the tall Son boy at her side. With the skills of a predator, the blonde followed the two dark haired teens until they sat down at one of the outdoor picnic tables. It was time to take the devil girl by the horns and make her talk to her.

And being as frustrated as she was about the unexpected silent treatment, Erasa rationalized that some drama was in order. Slamming her hands on top of the wooden table, she immediately got the attention of the two teens as they looked at her. Though she normally knew exactly how she looked at every moment of the day, the blonde didn't register the rage that was surely covering her face.

"Videl, what is wrong?!" she practically screeched. "Talk to me for Kami's sake!"

Both teens blinked before looking at each other. Though Gohan seemed to be willing to hear her out, even though he wasn't the one she wanted that acknowledgement from, Videl turned her nose at the blonde, maintaining her silence once more.

Wroooooooooooooooooooooong move.

"Damn it, Videl, what is wrong with you?!" Erasa screamed. "I'm worried sick about you and all you've done is ignore me when ever I try to talk to you! Tell me what's wrong!"

Gohan started scratching the back of his head as he looked to the Satan girl. Apparently he had some sort of influence over the girl as Videl immediately noticed the look he was giving her. Some sort of internal conflict wrestled between the two before the girl finally irritably blew air out of her mouth and faced the blonde for the first time in…forever. "Fine, what do you want to know?"

Erasa couldn't help but feel like a thirsty woman who just found an oasis in the desert. "Why aren't you talking to me? Why have you been ignoring me?"

Videl paused for a moment before answering. "You remember that dream-catcher you gave me a month ago?"

"A dream-what?"

"That thing you found at the yard sell and said was an early birthday present to me."

Erasa had to think about that. She definitely remembered going shopping last month, but finding a present for Videl? That was a bit blurry. Let's see, she remembered some sale going on; there were a bunch of weird things being sold at ridiculously low prices; some very adorable stuffed animals were immediately grabbed by her. Hmm...there was some special notebook that would kill a person if their name was written in it but some weird looking guy grabbed it before she had a chance to. There had even been some very sexy underwear that she had found and thought would make a good present for her dark haired friend before deciding she herself would get more use out of them. Nope, she couldn't think of buying a present for her friend there. The only other thing she had bought was this cute circle thing that begged her to buy it. Maybe this was what her friend was talking about.

"Okay, I think I know what you're talking about. What about it?"

"That present of yours had some Indian curse on it that was giving me those crazy dreams. Now, do you see why I'm not in the friendliest of moods?"

Erasa just gave the girl a blank stare. How did Videl think she purposely gave her some weird curse thingy? She didn't even know it was cursed! It still didn't make any sense as to why the Satan girl was being so cruel to her. "But why are you being so mean to me?"

The dark haired girl sweatdropped. Instead of trying to continue explaining her foul mood, the girl decided to get to the bottom of where this conversation was going. "Erasa, just give me a little bit of time, okay? I'll get over this eventually."

The blonde wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, since she'd been confused since the Satan girl had started on this explanation. But she'd take anything she could get, especially if that meant her friend would talk to her eventually. "Okay, Videl, but you better talk to me."

"Yeah, yeah, I will," Videl replied as she waved a hand to dismiss the girl. Turning around, Erasa marched away, her head held high and in the mood for some form of gossip. A girl has to get her gossipy fix somehow.

* * *

Videl watched the blonde leave from the corner of her eye. To be honest, she wasn't in a very forgiving mood though Erasa had a knack for wearing people down. This hadn't been an exception.

Across from her, Gohan was grinning. "I'm glad you're starting to make up with Erasa," he said.

The Satan girl rolled her eyes. No matter what happened, he was ever the optimist. Well, she wasn't about to go and contradict him. If there were any more instances of being cold to their mutual friend, she'd just tell him that's how girls "made up." He wouldn't know the difference anyways.

When she didn't make a response to his statement, the Son boy tried a different approach. "So, anymore dreams?"

Shaking her head in the negative, she said "Nope, so far, so good. I'd like to keep it that way too."

A chuckle left the boy's lips. "So what did you do with the dream-catcher? Last I heard, that was what gave you the dream."

Well, in all honesty, the moment Videl had returned to her room, she had taken the dream-catcher and smashed it to bits with a sledgehammer. It had taken just one swing to accomplish that feat but after the weeks of torment by the object, the girl hadn't stopped smashing it until it was unrecognizable.

Not that the Satan girl was gonna tell her friend that.

"I got rid of it," she answered simply.

"Too bad. Baba's been asking about it."

Videl couldn't help but scowl. The little old crone was the last person she'd be generous to. Though her advice was beneficial, the fortuneteller had done little to nothing to help her out. In fact, if it hadn't been for her selling the blasted thing to Erasa, she never would've been in this predicament. If she had it her way, the old lady would be seeing nightmares for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.

* * *

A scream flew from Baba's mouth as she flung herself into a sitting position. Raspy pants echoed throughout her bedroom as she tried to reign in her ragged breathing.

It had been horrible. Never in her centuries of life had she ever encountered a nightmare such as the one she'd been having for the past week. It was almost too terrifying for her to speak aloud.

Son Goku…that rapscallion! She had seen in vivid detail as his 13 year old self had convinced himself that her crystal ball was in fact a very colorful rice ball. Watching with unblinking eyes, her prized ball was consumed, piece by piece, bite after bite, until it was being digested in the bottomless bowels of the young saiyan. And then he had the gall to ask for another one.

Just thinking about that made her want to burst into tears.

She needed to go see that Totosai friend of hers. He could help her, she knew without a doubt. And he wouldn't be too hard to find either. He had just left her home on his way to his native lands, right after giving her more of his people's treasures. Coins, totem poles, a wooden horse, and the like. He even brought a milkshake that she had to say was most exquisite. One of the best ones she ever had, in fact. She could've sworn though, that she had heard him mentioned something about the milkshake having a spell on it. Or was it one of the coins?

What she wouldn't give for a dream-catcher right about now.

* * *

To marc: Thanks.

To A-man: Huh...you didn't. I'd like to apologize for making that GT comment. I had assumed that your Pan example had to come from GT since most of her story and character is focused in that...thing. There wasn't much of her in DBZ considering that she was in the last episode or two, so I had thought the Pan flight thing was from GT. Once again, I apologize. And while I would like to continue our debate, this is the last chapter and I would rather end our conversation on a decent note, since at this point it would be more like someone trying to get the last word and all. Let's just agree to disagree and if we have the pleasure of continuing this debate at a later date, we can do so. Thanks for reading this story and I hope you've enjoyed it despite some pointlessness of it. And thanks for reviewing. Our conversations have led to improvements in the story that I didn't have in the initial draft. So thanks.

To lugo: Though you've probably figured out by now, I'll answer your question anyways. Yes, this is the end of the fic. I hoped you've liked it and enjoyed this little story of mine.

To Lord Destroyer: No worries, I've got a couple ideas I want to do though getting around to them may take a little time. I had been working on one fic before this one, but because of a bit of computer trouble, I lost some of the work and it killed my motivation to write it for awhile. I'll be getting back to it after reading a couple DBZ manga. That always got me itching lol.

And now for everyone. I'd like to thank everyone that read and reviewed this fic. It was quite a trip and I got a chance to stretch that romance-writing muscle of mine to some extend. Not much mind you but for me, it's like I ran a mile with it lol. I thank Takuma for doing beta work on the first chapter. You can probably see a difference between the first chapter and the rest of it, though I tried to emulate it as much as I could.

Once again, I thank you all. Now, I just got to worry getting that diploma of mine in a few days and try not to fall on my face as I walk that long stage.

Until next time,

ShadowMajin


End file.
